Events

Exploring What It Means to be American Through Art and Conversation

Featuring a vibrant wallpaper of 50 state flowers designed by artist Ouizi (Louise Jones), the exhibition symbolizes national unity and the diverse beauty found across America. Against this backdrop and among works of art chosen from UMMA’s collection, a series of interactive social events will unfold, encouraging visitors to engage in honest, courageous, common sense discussions about civic responsibility and national identity. These interactive elements invite visitors to make new connections and find new ways to flourish through the power of community, sustainability, dignity, and beauty.

Offered in this spirit of intellectual humility, to support the principles of academic freedom, and to develop a campus climate comfortable with hearing different well-informed points of view, even those counter to one’s own views, the lunchtime series will take place on the Diag on four biweekly Tuesdays in September and October leading up to the general election. Any student, staff, or faculty member of the University can sign up in advance to speak on the weekly topic for 2 minutes. Or you can simply come to listen and learn.

Considering the importance of the November elections, our focus for Fall 2024 will be “What’s at Stake for Me in the November Elections,” and each week will focus on a particular issue related to policy and the election. The first issue, on September 10, will be Climate Change Policy, an issue that many students consider vital to their decisions about which candidates to support. Topics for the other three dates will be generated by polling.

Co-chaired by Mike Ford (son of President Ford) and Jason Carter (grandson of President Carter), the Principles for Trusted Elections is an effort to bring awareness to the process insuring fair, safe, and secure elections. More Perfect's "Five Democracy Goals" were created to support key cornerstones of a sustainable and vigorous democracy.

Professor Melissa Harris-Perry is the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University. She is author of the award-winning Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought, and Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America. Professor Harris-Perry is founder and president of the Anna Julia Cooper Center whose mission is to advance justice through intersectional scholarship and action.

Established in 1997, the Vivian R. Shaw Lecture is presented biennially by the Institute for Research on Women & Gender and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan. Established in 1997 by Ellen Agress, this lecture addresses “real world issues” related to women and gender.

First created in 2013, seemingly a lifetime ago in the political landscape, this critically acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe Festival hit has been reimagined for the present day, with each performance taking a different turn depending on those in the audience. This resolutely political show contains no identifiable political message, ideology, or social or economic reality, but draws attention to the reasons and motivations that cause people to vote in a certain way and how the battle for our attention, sympathy, and approval reveal surprising and superficial snap judgments. If you are sick and tired of the constant bombardment of political antagonism in every facet of life, this immersive and sharp analysis of democracy will force you to step back and consider why we care so much; it is “funny, revealing, and very invigorating…You will encounter things that no US company would dare do.” (Chicago Tribune)

This year’s theme is Climate Civics, and programming will explore the intersections between civic engagement, social justice, and climate action. Goals of this year's gathering include depicting the interlocking crises of democracy and climate justice, empowering lifelong climate voters, and inspiring and sustaining civic engagement in our communities.

Speaker Bios:

Joe Walsh is a former Republican Congressman from Illinois elected to Congress in the Tea Party wave of 2010. Following his service in Congress, Walsh became one of the most popular conservative talk radio hosts in the country, syndicated in major markets throughout the U.S. In August of 2019 Joe became a candidate for President of the United States, waging a Republican primary challenge against Donald Trump.

Joe is currently the Director of The Social Contract and the host of a podcast called, “White Flag With Joe Walsh,” where Joe has weekly conversations with other well-known people to model how to have respectful
conversations with those you disagree with. Joe comes from the MAGA base and also spends a lot of time engaging, respectfully, with that base.

Fred Guttenberg began his public life after the murder of his beautiful 14-year-old daughter Jaime. The day after the murder, Fred attended a public vigil in Parkland. While there, the Mayor asked him to speak. His words shook a nation.

Fred has traveled the country talking about perspective, perseverance, and resilience. He discusses pivotal moments in our life and how we respond to those moments. Fred Guttenberg’s professional life previously included over a decade of experience management with Johnson and Johnson, followed by almost 15 years as an entrepreneur.

Speaker bios:

John Kasich served as the 69th Governor of Ohio (2011-2019). He touts his accomplishments as "leading the Ohio Comeback, restoring Ohio’s fiscal stability, diversifying the state’s economy with more than 500,000 new private-sector jobs, expanding health care coverage for low-income Ohioans, protecting vulnerable residents, and championing a number of reforms to protect the environment." Kasich ran for President during the 2016 GOP primary. He was the last candidate to leave the race and finished third in the total delegate count. His message focused on unifying Americans rather than dividing them, championing the great potential of our citizens to make positive impacts in their own communities, a strong national defense and the importance of our international alliances. He previously served in Congress (1982-2000), where he was Chairman of the House Budget Committee and also served for 18 years on the Armed Services Committee. 

Steve Bullock was elected Montana’s 24th Governor, serving from 2013-2020. He worked with a Republican-majority legislature to improve access to health care, kick dark money out of state elections, make record investments in education, protect access to public lands, invest in infrastructure, and strengthen Montana’s economy. Bullock brought diverse interests together to address challenging issues, from sage grouse and forest management to the Main Street Montana Project. By executive action, he led the nation in preserving net neutrality and combating dark money. Nationally, Bullock was elected Chair of the National Governors Association, Western Governors Association and Democratic Governors Association. Bullock served as Montana’s attorney general from 2009-2013. As attorney general, Bullock defended Montana’s hundred-year ban on corporate campaign spending, gaining national prominence for leading the challenge to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

Early arrival attendees will receive a copy of DiResta’s latest book, Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality, while supplies last.

Reception to follow in Rackham Assembly Hall, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.