Social Justice

Brittany Packnett and Kayla Reed
On October 24, 2019 WashU alumna, activist and educator Brittany Packnett joined organizer and strategist Kayla Reed for a conversation about the power to lead, confidence and inclusivity.

Rhonda Magee
Rhonda Magee, Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco, delivered the inaugural lecture of the CRE2 Mindfulness & Anti-Racism series.

Philippe Sands
Sands, the British international human rights lawyer, scholar, and prolific author, now brings this story to life in his 16th book, “East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity.”

Chai Feldblum
Distinguished lawyer and civil rights champion Chai Feldblum will deliver a keynote address for the Midwest LGBTQ+ Law Conference at 1 p.m. Friday, March 3 in Anheuser-Busch Hall Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom.

Rebecca Ginsburg “Why Universities Should Be in Prisons”
Ginsburg, associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also teaches at the Danville Correctional Center, a medium-high security facility operated by the state of Illinois.

Susan Stokes
Stokes presented a public lecture entitled, “Is ‘Direct Democracy’ Good for Democracy? The Logic(s) of Referendums.” Stokes is the Faculty Chair of the Chicago Center on Democracy, where she guides the strategy and direction of the center.

Reza Aslan
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.

Kristin Henning
Georgetown Law Professor Kristin Henning joined Daniel Harawa (WashU Law) to discuss her new book, Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth.

Sarah Wagner
The Bosnian genocide, carried out between 1992 and 1995, displaced nearly a quarter of Bosnia’s pre-war population, with refugees scattered throughout the world. This year's annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture will feature anthropologist Sarah Wagner discussing “Srebrenica’s Legacies of Loss and Remembrance,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Umrath Hall Lounge.

Abbe Smith
Smith, noted criminal defense attorney and professor of law at Georgetown University, discussed her new book, Guilty People.
Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law at Georgetown Law and director of the Criminal Defense & Prisoner Advocacy Clinic

Alex Haley
“All of us here, all of us anywhere, can really separate ourselves into two groups: those who find ourselves in a position of needing help, and those of us so fortunate we can help others. We have no less a mandate to help others, it’s an investment in human beings.”

Nadine Strossen
To mark the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year, the Washington University in St. Louis community came together on Monday, August 26, 2019 for ‘Reflections, Unity, Social Justice, and Peace.’

Danielle Allen
Distinguished political theorist, Danielle Allen, gave a presentation that challenged common assumptions about both the founding of the United States and the implications of the Declaration of Independence.

Sherrilyn Ifill
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.

Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, Rev. Dr. Zandra Wagoner, Rev. Traci Blackmon, J.T. Snipes
This Interfaith Week discussion titled “Faith in the Fight: Organizing Interfaith & Secular Coalitions for Racial Equity & Justice.”

Sheryl WuDunn
On February 11, 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Sheryl WuDunn talked about "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide." She studies and writes about the economic, political and social forces affecting women throughout the globe.

Panel of Speakers
In a session titled “Inclusive Growth in St. Louis: Embracing Inclusive Leadership,” a panel of experts from different sectors discussed strategies to create inclusive and meaningful leadership.

Bob Harris
Social entrepreneur Bob Harris discussed his work at an April 10, 2014 presentation called "The International Bank of Bob." The talk was based on his book of the same name, and was held in Simon Hall May Auditorium.

Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.