Past Events Archive
Year of Democracy Featured Events
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DEPORTATION NATION: Chronicling Our Current Chapter in America's Long History of Exclusion
January 20, 2026 | 4:30-6:00PM | Rackham Graduate School Amphitheatre, 4th floor
The Trump administration’s deportation campaign is having a major impact on American institutions, from local governments and businesses to churches and schools, and has helped to cement immigration enforcement as one of the key civil rights issues of our time.
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But the system through which these mass deportations are being carried out has been in place for decades, and many of the issues drawing headlines — from overcrowded detention centers, to family separations, and deportations without due process — are nothing new. In this conversation, Dickerson will debunk common misconceptions about how the American immigration system works and how it doesn’t. She will also discuss the United States’ complex history with immigrants, which includes a deeply ingrained, race-based fear that, for centuries, has been directed toward virtually every group of American immigrants, fuelling moments of intense backlash like the one we are in now.
About the speaker:
Caitlin Dickerson has been a staff writer at The Atlantic since 2021. In 2023, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting and the Livingston Award for National Reporting for “We Need to Take Away Children,” an indepth examination of the U.S. government’s child separation policy during the first Trump adminstation. Before joining The Atlantic, Dickerson spent five years as a reporter for The New York Times, and five years as a producer and reporter for NPR. Her investigative reporting and long-form feature writing have also been recognized with a Peabody, an Edward R. Murrow award, and two National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence awards.
About the moderator:
Lynette Clemetson is the Charles R. Eisendrath Director of Wallace House Center for Journalists, home of the Knight-Wallace Fellowships for Journalists and the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists at the University of Michigan.
Reception following discussion. -
Lessons of Authoritarianism and Democratic Resilience in Latin America: Free Community Film Screening & Discussion I'm Still Here
January 20, 2026 | 5:30-8:30PM | State Theatre 1, 233 S State St
BRAZIL, 1971 - Brazil faces the tightening grip of a military dictatorship. Eunice Paiva, a mother of five children is forced to reinvent herself after her family suffers a violent and arbitrary act by the government.
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The film is based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva's biographical book and tells the true story that helped reconstruct an important part of Brazil’s hidden history. Join us for a free film screening and discussion with Dr. Victoria Langland and PhD Candidate, Ana Guimarães.
No tickets necessary, but please sign the registration form: https://forms.gle/5xDYx6WBAhaE4mDR8
Co-sponsors:
Department of History, Donia Human Rights Center, Center for Emerging Democracies
Accommodation: If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.
Email: -- [email protected] -
The Movement Made Us All: Historical Legacies of the Civil Rights Movement and the Current Moment
January 19, 2026 | 6:00-7:30pm | Museum of Art - Helmut Stern Auditorium
David Dennis, Jr., (author, journalist, senior writer at Andscape and ESPN commentator) David Dennis, Sr., UM Law ’71 (founder and director of the Southern Initiative Algebra Project, CORE Southern Regional Director, 1962-65)
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As part of the University of Michigan's MLK Symposium, please join us for a conversation with journalist and sports commentator David Dennis Jr. and his father, civil rights movement veteran David Dennis Sr. Authors of "The Movement Made Us: A Father, A Son and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride," a moving memoir of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Dennis Jr. and Sr. will discuss the political and personal legacies of the movement and its historical relevance for the challenges facing American society in the present. Matthew Countryman, associate professor of Afroamerican Studies and History, will serve as moderator for the event.
There will be a reception at 4:00 pm in the Pendleton Room of the Michigan Union before the event where guests will have the opportunity to purchase copies of "The Movement Made Us" signed by the authors.
Presented by the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, the Department of History, the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, the Michigan Program for Advancing Cultural Transformation (M-PACT) in Biomedical and Health Sciences and the Scholars Network on Masculinity and the Well-Being of African American Men in the Center for Social Solutions. Additional support from the Kalt Fund for African American and African History. -
Workshop of Democracy: Community Benefits, Community Land Trusts, and Equitable Economic Development
January 15, 2026 | 10-12PM | 3663 Woodward Ave, Suite 150, Detroit MI
Hear case studies from Detroit neighborhoods on how these models can work elsewhere. We’ll look at Community Benefits Agreements and Community Land Trusts as ways to keep housing affordable and reduce inequality.
Workshop of Democracy: Join us for a dynamic series of panels and workshops showcasing how Detroiters have responded to 21st century challenges, developed innovative strategies and driven policy change—offering inspiring examples of grassroots power in action.More about this event
Too often Detroit has been viewed as a site of social and economic problems, and not as a source of solutions or strategies for the future. With partners at Bridge Detroit, the University of Michigan Detroit Center is hosting a series of public panel discussions exploring the struggles and achievements of local grassroots movements who have confronted the challenges of the 21st century–from food deserts and environmental racism to gentrification and violence–with the grit and spirit of innovation that defines the spirit of the Motor City. Come join the conversation, and learn the lessons that Detroit has to teach the nation and the world
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Unpacking the News with Professor Pasek
January 14, 2026 | 4:00-5:00PM | Michigan Union, Pond Room
Join a weekly, student-centered conversation that takes a closer look at major news events shaping the world.
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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.
Josh Pasek is Professor of Communication & Media and Political Science, Faculty Associate at the Center for Political Studies, Institute for Social Research, and Associate Director of the Michigan Institute for Data Science at the University of Michigan -
Workshop of Democracy: Urban Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
December 11, 2025 | 10-12PM | 3663 Woodward Ave, Suite 150, Detroit MI
Hear Detroit’s urban agriculture leaders discuss sustainable practices, food security, and current battles over policy and land.
Workshop of Democracy: Join us for a dynamic series of panels and workshops showcasing how Detroiters have responded to 21st century challenges, developed innovative strategies and driven policy change—offering inspiring examples of grassroots power in action.More about this event
Too often Detroit has been viewed as a site of social and economic problems, and not as a source of solutions or strategies for the future. With partners at Bridge Detroit, the University of Michigan Detroit Center is hosting a series of public panel discussions exploring the struggles and achievements of local grassroots movements who have confronted the challenges of the 21st century–from food deserts and environmental racism to gentrification and violence–with the grit and spirit of innovation that defines the spirit of the Motor City. Come join the conversation, and learn the lessons that Detroit has to teach the nation and the world
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One Year After The Martial Law Declaration: Democratic Backsliding and Resilience in Korea and Beyond
December 5, 2025 | 9:30AM-5:10PM | Weiser Hall, Room 1010
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This conference marks the first anniversary of the unprecedented political upheaval triggered by President Yoon Seok Yeol’s declaration of martial law in South Korea. The event aims to critically reflect on the political and institutional causes and consequences of this crisis, both within Korea and in a broader comparative perspective. In the wake of this extraordinary challenge to democratic norms around the world, what have we learned about the vulnerabilities and the strength of democratic institutions from the experience of South Korea?
By situating Korea within the global wave of democratic backsliding and bringing together scholars working on democratic backsliding from diverse cases and perspectives, this workshop aims to generate new insights into institutional guardrails, civic mobilization, elite behavior, and international influence. It will also examine how Korea’s political trajectory over the past year informs debates about the durability of democracy in both established and emerging democratic regimes.
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Political Speech and the Public Square: Free Speech: Should There be Limits?
December 2, 2025 | 12:00-1:00PM | The Diag
The University of Michigan is an institution with diverse communities, interests and opinions. In Fall 2024, the Faculty Senate Office launched the series – Political Speech and the Public Square – to provide a forum for members of the U-M community to present informed, fact-based perspectives, and to listen to and learn from each other.
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Political Speed and the Public Square: Surveillance: Does It Make Us Safer?
November 18, 2025 | 12:00-1:00PM | The Diag
The University of Michigan is an institution with diverse communities, interests and opinions. In Fall 2024, the Faculty Senate Office launched the series – Political Speech and the Public Square – to provide a forum for members of the U-M community to present informed, fact-based perspectives, and to listen to and learn from each other.
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Charles Correa International Lecture: Eyal Weizman
November 18, 2025 | 7:00-8:30PM | Walgreen Drama Center, STAMPS Auditorium, 1226 Murfin Ave
Eyal Weizman is the founder and director of Forensic Architecture and professor of Spatial and Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, where in 2005 he founded the Centre for Research Architecture.
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He is the author of many books, including Hollow Land, The Least of all Possible Evils, Investigative Aesthetics, The Roundabout Revolutions, The Conflict Shoreline and Forensic Architecture. Eyal held positions in many universities worldwide including Princeton, ETH Zurich and the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.