In this challenging year, we presented a wide range of in-person and online events featuring leading thinkers, legendary authors, and voices at the forefront of cultural change. View highlights of the season below, and revisit or catch up on events you may have missed in our VIDEO ARCHIVE. Or read articles and view expanded content on our series The Promise and Perils of Democracy.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS 2019–2020
Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz, co-chair of the Board of Directors of CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies, interviewed pioneering filmmaker Cheryl Dunye about her work and life, as Dunye received the annual Jose Munoz Award. (September 23)Robert Caro, two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning author of biographies of Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson, spoke about his memoir Working at a Leon Levy Center for Biography event. (October 15)Economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman joined in a discussion of their book The Triumph of Injustice, in our series “The Promise and Perils of Democracy. Janet Gornick, director of the Stone Center on Economic Inequality, moderated the event, also featuring Lily Batchelder, professor at NYU, and Paul Krugman, distinguished professor at The Graduate Center. (October 23)Johnnetta Betsch Cole, former president of Spelman College, moderated the panel “Racism and Democracy” in our series “The Promise and Perils of Democracy.” The timely discussion featured Jessie Daniels, professor at Hunter College and The Graduate Center; Bitta Mostofi, commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs; Jelani Cobb, staff writer at The New Yorker; and Mary Hooks, co-director of Southerners on New Ground. (October 24)The City of Science series event “Exploring the Mysteries of Black Holes” featured three leaders in black hole research from CUNY: Matt O’Dowd (Lehman College, host of PBS Space Time), Saavik Ford (BMCC, American Museum of Natural History), and Dan Kabat (Lehman College). (November 7)Nancy L. Rosenblum, professor emerita at Harvard University, gave a talk, “The New Conspiricism and the Assault on Democracy,” as the 2019 Irving Howe Memorial Lecture, presented with the Center for the Humanities. (November 20)Hilton Als, staff writer at The New Yorker, spoke with André Aciman, distinguished professor of comparative literature and French at The Graduate Center, about his novel Find Me, the anticipated sequel to Call Me by Your Name. (December 4)Branko Milanovic, visiting presidential professor and senior scholar at the Stone Center for Socio-Economic Inequality at The Graduate Center, joined in a discussion about his book Capitalism, Alone: The Future of the System That Rules the World, as part of our democracy series. (December 10)A screening and discussion of the PBS documentary East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story featured Nikita Stewart of The New York Times; filmmakers David McMahon and Sarah Burns; executive producer Ken Burns; Lawrence Lightfoot and Aseelah Muhammad, who appeared in the film; and Carla Shedd, associate professor of sociology and urban education at The Graduate Center. (February 13)Tibetan-born singer Yungchen Lhamo brought her mediative sounds to The Graduate Center as part of Live@365: A Global Music Series. (March 6)As events moved online, we produced the 2020 Dissertation Showcase as a lively video broadcast. Doctoral students presenting their research included Alison Walls, Theatre and Performance Studies; Brandon del Pozo, Philosophy; Amanda Sanseverino, Business; Illya Nayshevsky, Chemistry; Cecilia Zumajo, Biology - Plant Science; and Robert P. Robinson, Urban Education. (May 19)The livestreamed event “Reducing Inequality Now” featured moderator Janet Gornick, director of the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality; Darrick Hamilton, professor of public policy, sociology, and economics at Ohio State University; Eduardo Porter, economics reporter for The New York Times; and Paul Krugman, distinguished professor at The Graduate Center. (June 18)
