The Importance of Dreaming About (and Mobilizing to Create) Equitable Futures

Public health is under siege in the United States-particularly the parts of the field that focus on health equity. Although it may be tempting to abandon health equity efforts during this siege, this article argues that would be a mistake for the field. Research on the history of public health has shown that health equity pursuits were essential for building the field, and contemporary research continues to find that health equity pursuits remain popular and are effective for mobilizing large and diverse segments of the population to engage in individual and collective actions that advance the field's goals. The pursuit of equitable and healthy futures may be one of the effective pathways for sustaining the field's future.