Past Events Archive
Year of Democracy Featured Events
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“Power, Purpose and the Color of Wealth: An Economic Vision that Centers People and the Environments in Which We Live”
April 9, 2026 | 10:30am - 12:00pm | Institute for Social Research - 6050
Join the Stone Center for Inequality Dynamics as we host Darrick Hamilton, University and Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy at The New School. Darrick will present, “Power, Purpose and the Color of Wealth: An Economic Vision that Centers People and the Environments in Which We Live.”
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Unpacking the News
April 8, 2026 | 4:00-5:00PM | Shapiro Library Gallery, 3rd floor, Rm 3160
Each session offers a space to pause, sort out what’s happening, and engage in thoughtful, civil discussion with peers. Bring your questions, your curiosity, and your perspective—no preparation required.
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Conversations with an Elected Official: Talk with 15 District Court Judge
April 8, 2026 | 12:00-1:00PM | Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning
Come and join us for another iteration of Conversations with an Elected Official - District Judge where we will be talking about what this elected office does, how the official got into local politics, and answer questions direct from constituents like you!
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Hosted in the Ginsberg Center Commons on April 8th from 12pm-1pm. We will be talking with Washtenaw County 15th District Judge Miriam A. Perry. Be on the lookout for additional events throughout the year featuring other local elected officials!
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Addressing Human Rights and Democracy: The Challenges and Opportunities for Business
April 7, 2026 | 4:30-6:00PM | Weiser Hall - Room 1010
In his book Conscience Incorporated: Pursuing Profits while Protecting Human Rights https://myumi.ch/JPnR4, Michael Posner examines the evolving role of large multinational companies in addressing human rights challenges tied to their business models, in global supply chains, in the tech sector and among investors.
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Rethinking Patriotism: Forging a New Civic Identity
April 2, 2026 | 5:00-6:30 PM | Rackham AmphitheatreWhat does patriotism mean in today's America? Join Eric Liu, founder of Citizen University, for an evening of reflection and dialogue on the evolving meaning of patriotism and civic responsibility.
What does patriotism mean in today's America? Join Eric Liu, founder of Citizen University, for an evening of reflection and dialogue on the evolving meaning of patriotism and civic responsibility.
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The program will feature a keynote address by Liu, followed by a panel discussion on public service, democracy, and national identity. Throughout the evening, a musical performance inspired by the national anthem will offer moments of reflection and underscore the evening's exploration of shared values and civic identity. The panel will include Jenna Bednar, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Eric Veal, Jr., President of the Central Student Government.
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Dinners for Democracy: Know What You Are Signing
April 1, 2026 | 5:00-6:00 PM | Weill Hall 3240
Dinners for Democracy are nonpartisan presentations and small group discussions on topics students care about, hosted by the student organization, Turn Up Turnout (TUT). This event is in collaboration with the League of Women Voters. Free dinner is provided!
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The event will discuss how petitions can be misleading and confusing and how to be certain you know exactly what the ballot proposal will do and how it will affect you.
Participants can expect to gain a deeper knowledge of the issue and an opportunity to discuss their thoughts, information about how their vote in local offices can affect the issue, and additional resources they can use to learn more.
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Unpacking the News
April 1, 2026 | 4:00-5:00PM | Shapiro Library Gallery, 3rd floor, Rm 3160
Each session offers a space to pause, sort out what’s happening, and engage in thoughtful, civil discussion with peers. Bring your questions, your curiosity, and your perspective—no preparation required.
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Sankofa: Honoring the Past to Strengthen Future Democracy (SCOR 2026 Social Justice Symposium)
April 1, 2026 | 10-12PM | Great Lakes Room, Palmer Commons
The Students of Color of Rackham (SCOR) are excited to welcome you to the 2026 Social Justice Symposium: “Sankofa: Honoring the Past to Strengthen Future Democracy.”
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This event seeks to explore a central question: How can university communities draw upon their histories of activism, advocacy, and democratic participation to build a more equitable and inclusive future?
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Dinner for Democracy: How to Be a Good Follower of Local Politics
March 26, 2026 | 6:00-7:00PM | Earl V Moore Building Rm 1378
Dinners for Democracy are nonpartisan presentations and small group discussions on topics students care about, hosted by the student organization, Turn Up Turnout (TUT). Free dinner is provided! Participants can expect to gain a deeper knowledge of the issue and an opportunity to discuss their thoughts, information about how their vote in local offices can affect the issue, and additional resources they can use to learn more.
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Taverns and the Post-Revolutionary Republican Experiment
March 26, 2026 | 4:00-5:30PM | Hatcher Graduate Library
In Accommodating the Republic: Use of Taverns in the Early United States, Kirsten Wood explores how Americans' use taverns in their pursuits of happiness helped flesh out the evolving meaning of citizenship in the young United States.
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In this talk, she looks at the years following the Revolutionary War, when Americans continued to use their neighborhood taverns as sites for gathering and political mobilization. The scope and significance of practices that had been so central to the revolutionary struggle shifted in the early republic, as Americans wrestled with the promise and problems of republican self-government. Although the mid-nineteenth-century temperance movement would soon frame tavern-going as the habit of dangerously shiftless men, in the republic's early decades, entrepreneurial, improvement-minded men—and some women!--went to taverns to raise capital, promote innovative businesses, practice genteel sociability, and put republican self-government into practice.