Think growing older means that everything goes downhill? Think again—author and anti-ageism activist Ashton Applewhite can tell you that older people are some of the happiest, most independent people in the country.
Applewhite will discuss how ageism warps people’s view of old age at Ithaca College on Monday, Oct. 23, in Emerson Suites. The 7 p.m. talk is free and open to the public.
The author of “This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism,” Applewhite is a leading spokesperson in the movement against discrimination on the basis of age.
Applewhite has written for Harper’s Magazine, Playboy and The New York Times. She is the voice behind “Yo, Is This Ageist?” on Tumbler. In 2016, she was named influencer of the year in NextAvenue.org’s list of influencers in aging. She has been recognized as an authority on aging by The New York Times, National Public Radio and the American Society on Aging.
Applewhite is also the author of the “Truly Tasteless Jokes” series, which were written under the pseudonym Blanche Knott.
Applewhite’s appearance is part of the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute’s Distinguished Speaker Series, which has brought over 50 speakers and visiting scholars to the college since 1999.