This fall's Thursz Social Justice Lecture will be a special event. It will focus on "The 2016 Election and the Future of Social Justice in America." It will feature a panel moderated by Tom Hall, of WYPR-FM's "Maryland Morning." Panelists will include E.J. Dionne, Washington Post columnist and frequent commentator on NPR's "All Things Considered;" DeRay Mckesson, one of the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement; and (invited) Representative Barbara Lee (D-California). The event will be take place in the School of Social Work Auditorium on Tuesday, November 15, from 5:00-6:30 p.m., followed by a reception in the School lobby. Admission is FREE, but advanced registration is required. Please go to the School website to register. For further information, please see Dr. Michael Reisch, Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice.
Syndicated Washington Post columnist and NPR commentator E.J. Dionne Jr. is author of two books that focus on essential questions that will dominate the 2016 election season: the newly published and highly acclaimed Why The Right Went Wrong and Our Divided Political Heart. Widely admired for his insights into the alarming polarization of our national politics, Dionne regularly debates David Brooks of the New York Times on NPR and appears frequently on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos and MSNBC. Other books include Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith & Politics After the Religious Right, Stand Up, Fight Back: Republican Toughs, Democratic Wimps, and the Politics of Revenge, and They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate The Next Political Era. Dionne began his now twice-weekly op-ed column for The Washington Post in 1993, and he now appears in more than 100 newspapers in the United States and abroad. Before joining The Post in 1990 as a reporter covering national politics, he spent 14 years with The New York Times, reporting on state and local government, national politics, and from around the world, including stints in Paris, Rome and Beirut.
DeRay Mckesson is a civil rights activist focused primarily on issues of innovation, equity and justice. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, he graduated from Bowdoin College and holds an honorary doctorate from The New School. DeRay has advocated for issues related to children, youth, and families since he was a teen. Co-founder of the Protestor Newsletter and Campaign Zero, DeRay has worked to connect individuals with knowledge and tools, and provide citizens and policy makers with commonsense policies to end police violence. Spurred by the death of Mike Brown and the subsequent protests in Ferguson, Missouri, DeRay has become a leading voice in the effort to confront the systems and structures that have led to the mass incarceration and police killings of black and other minority populations.