National Issues

On February 17, 2015 at 6 p.m. in Graham Chapel, Reza Aslan, delivered the Washington University Foreign Policy Engagement Lecture on faith, extremism and democracy.

On September 17, 2014 at 2 PM at the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom in Anheuser-Busch Hall, Sherrilyn Ifill talked about the legacy of the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v the Board of Education and discussed how this relates to the still-present socioeconomic issues underpinning African-Americans’ anger and frustration that have surfaced in Ferguson, MO.

On February 18, 2015 at 7 p.m. in Graham Chapel, Ta-Nehisi Coates, senior editor for The Atlantic and well-known author, spoke on the subject of racism in the United States as part of the Washington University Political Review Lecture.

When he came to campus in 1984, the Democratic presidential candidate Walter “Fritz” Mondale was greeted by cheering students, and especially by WashU’s female students: Mondale chose the first woman, Geraldine Ferraro, as his running mate, and supported the Equal Rights Amendment.

On January 22, 2015 at 12 p.m. in the Brown Hall Lounge, Xavier de Souza Briggs, vice president of the Ford Foundation's Economic Opportunity and Assets program talked about "Toward a Just and Inclusive America."

On September 8, 2014 Kenji Yoshino, Professor of Law at NYU talked about his new book - Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights. In his book Yoshino provides readers plenty to consider about the act of "covering," why it's done and how it harms people's individuality.