Our 2018-2019 season has come to a close. In the past year, we presented more than 40 public programs featuring writers, artists, public figures, and scholars from The Graduate Center, CUNY, and beyond. These events explored great ideas and provided insight on the important issues of today, drawing on the deep knowledge of our faculty and guests. View highlights of the past season below, and be sure to visit our VIDEO ARCHIVE.
For news and expanded content about our series “The Promise and Perils of Democracy,” visit its NEW WEBSITE.
Season Highlights 2018–2019
Roxane Gay, a powerful literary voice and one of today’s most-watched cultural critics, read from her work and joined in a conversation with Katia D. Ulysse.GC Distinguished Professor Paul Krugman sat down with Janet Yellen to discuss her tenure as Federal Reserve chair and the current state of the U.S. economy.Legal experts explored “The Role of the Judiciary in a Democracy” in the series “The Promise and Perils of Democracy.” Julie C. Suk, professor of sociology and dean for master’s programs, moderated a panel of Judge Jenny Rivera, NY State Court of Appeals; Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; and Judge Shira A. Scheindlin, a former federal district judge.Best-selling and award-winning author Marlon James discussed his new novel Black Leopard, Red Wolf as part of the PEN World Voices Festival.Governor Jerry Brown came to the GC to discuss his life and family saga with Kai Bird, executive director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography, and Miriam Pawel, author of The Browns of California.Ai Weiwei, one of the world’s most prominent artists and activists, discussed his work and life with Tim Marlow, artistic director of the Royal Academy of Arts, London.Our global music series Live@365 continued with an exciting season of concerts, including this performance by Michel Merhej and the Bil Afrah Project, celebrating one of the Middle East’s legendary albums.Maria Hinojosa, host of Latino USA on NPR, led a timely discussion on what is at stake for the 2020 Census. “How Will the Census Matter to You?” featured John Mollenkopf, GC distinguished professor of political science and sociology; Vanita Gupta of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Steven Choi of the New York Immigration Coalition; and Esmeralda Simmons of the Center for Law and Social Justice. Part of the series “The Promise and Perils of Democracy.”How do we address inequality in our nation’s colleges and universities? At the event “Is Higher Education for Everyone?” Carla Shedd, associate professor of sociology and urban education at the GC, explored solutions. The panel also featured Stephen Brier, founder of the GC’s Interactive Technology and Pedagogy program; Cathy Davidson, director of the Futures Initiative at the GC; Sakina Laksimi-Morrow, fellow at the GC’s Teaching and Learning Center; and Richard V. Reeves, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.“A New Era for the ERA: Women of Color Lead the Way” explored recent progress towards an Equal Rights Amendment. Carol Robles-Román, co-president and CEO of the ERA Coalition, moderated a panel featuring: Hala Ayala, Virginia delegate; Carla Cunningham, North Carolina state representative; Jennifer McClellan, Virginia state senator; and Pat Spearman, Nevada state senator.Fareed Zakaria, renowned journalist, author, and host of Fareed Zakaria GPS for CNN, gave a talk, “Is Democracy in Crisis?” as part of the series “The Promise and Perils of Democracy.”Tackling an urgent topic of our time, the discussion “Capitalism and Democracy: Can They Coexist?” featured Richard Reeves and Vanessa Williamson, senior fellows at Brookings Institution; Andrew Yang, tech entrepreneur and founder of Venture for America; and Leslie McCall, presidential professor of sociology and political science and associate director of the Stone Center at the GC. Part of the series “The Promise and Perils of Democracy.”Elizabeth Acevedo and Julia Alvarez, two leading Latinx voices in the American literary canon, joined a reading and conversation to celebrate Alvarez’s classic In the Time of the Butterflies.“The Free Press” featured leading journalists — including Anne Applebaum of The Washington Post and Michelle Goldberg of The New York Times — in conversation about the media's important function in a democracy, as part of the series “The Promise and Perils of Democracy.”
Thank you to all who attended public programs in 2018-2019. Our new season will be announced in September — we hope to see you soon at The Graduate Center!
