Monday, May 18, 2026 | 7:00 PM CT

Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It
A FAN program featuring Claude Steele, Ph.D. (FAN ’14), in conversation with Marcus Campbell, Ed.D.
Evanston Township High School Auditorium, 1600 Dodge Ave., Door 6, Evanston, IL 60201

No registration required. 

Book Giveaway: FAN is giving away copies of Churn at the event, while supplies last.

Nearly two decades after Whistling Vivaldi, legendary social psychologist Claude M. Steele, Ph.D. (FAN ’14), returns with Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It, an equally ambitious work examining the mental agitation and physical stress we experience in diverse settings, and the surprising role trust-building plays in reducing it across identity divides.

Opening with a striking vignette of a parent-teacher conference between a well-meaning white teacher and the concerned Black parents of a seventh grader, the book demonstrates how churn threatens the trust essential to teaching and mentoring the young. Drawing on decades of psychological research, Churn is rich with examples: a young woman entering a boardroom as one of only a few women; a white male feeling conspicuous during diversity training; a Chinese grandmother shopping where anti-Asian violence has occurred; and lessons from remarkable student outcomes at Georgia State University.

Too often, we navigate the tensions of diversity by pretending they don’t exist, avoiding connection across what can seem like wide chasms of difference. Steele charts a different path, one rooted in seeing the full humanity in human difference. He offers concrete practices, “a game played on the ground,” for building trust across all kinds of divides: between individuals, in classrooms, boardrooms, and entire institutions.

Carefully intertwining research with anecdotes drawn from Steele’s own biracial background, Churn is essential reading for anyone committed to fostering community. Filled with hard-won hope, Steele’s summa work teaches us how to work through the churn suffusing our lives.

Steele will be in conversation with Marcus Campbell, Ed.D., superintendent of Evanston Township High School District 202. Dr. Campbell was previously the Assistant Superintendent/Principal at ETHS, responsible for providing leadership in the development of district strategy and organizational change, including effective instruction practices, impactful diversity and equity initiatives, and responsive programs and services.

This event is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. It will be recorded but not live streamed and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.

Sponsored by FAN, in partnership with The Alliance for Early Childhood, Avoca D37, Bennett Day School, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, British International School of Chicago, Catherine Cook School, Compass Health Center, Connections for the Homeless, Countryside Day School, Evanston Scholars, Evanston Township HS D202, The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Family Service Center, Foundation 65, The Frances Xavier Warde School, Francis W. Parker School, Glencoe D35, Glenview Public Library, Gorton Center, Hyde Park Day School, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, Kenilworth D38, Latin School of Chicago, Leo Catholic High School, Libertyville D70, Lycée Français de Chicago, Magnetar Capital, Near North Montessori School, North Shore Country Day, Northwestern University Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations, Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy, Pope John XXIII School, Regina Dominican High School, Resurrection College Prep High School, Rogers Park Montessori School, Sacred Heart Schools, Santa Clara University School of Law, Science & Arts Academy, The Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School, Stevenson High School D125, Township High School D113, Township High School D214, TrueNorth Educational Cooperative #804, UChicago Network for College Success, Wilmette Public Library, Wolcott College Prep, Woodlands Academy, Youth & Opportunity United.