Face Forward

In this short video created to set the tone for the 2022 Skoll World Forum, poet Darius Simpson opens by pondering the complexity and richness of the human face—what a face carries, what it communicates. He notes the shadow side of society’s relentless march forward over time, leading to systemic problems, from the climate crisis and racial inequity to faltering democracies and extractive economies. In the midst of an ongoing global pandemic, Darius offers a challenge: “If we are to face forward, then let it be a challenge of the work ahead to let what’s behind us flow from our shoulders like a new cape.” In the end, to build sustained solutions demands collective action, to face forward to tomorrow with resolve and compassion.