Berkeley events this fall, part 1: Race, gender, U.S. politics
What's happening at Berkeley this political season? Here's a sample.
August 30, 2016
Issues of racial and gender inequality in America remain top of mind and in the headlines as the presidential election approaches. Events and exhibits at Berkeley this fall will look back and ahead to examine our cultural heritage and evolution.
Annette Gordon-Reed, a professor of American legal history at Harvard, will analyze Thomas Jefferson’s vision for the United States and how race and slavery complicated his views of what kind of society would be possible in the infant nation (Wednesday, Sept. 28, 4 p.m., International House Chevron Auditorium).
Sojourner Truth exhibit, through Oct. 23, BAMPFA
The use of photography in the fight against slavery features in an ongoing exhibit at BAMPFA, Sojourner Truth. A runaway slave turned abolitionist, feminist and orator, Sojourner Truth made a living by selling cartes de visite featuring her image (through Oct. 23, BAMPFA).
This fall marks the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party’s founding. An intimate portrait of the dynamic social movement will be on display in a photographic exhibit, Power to the People: The World of the Black Panthers (through Jan. 5, 2017, North Gate Hall Logan Gallery). “Reflection on the Black Panthers” by photographer Stephen Shames will also include a book signing by Bobby Seale (Wednesday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m., North Gate Hall).
Marc Lamont Hill, Saturday, Sept. 3
Journalist, professor and CNN political contributor Marc Lamont Hill will explore systematic injustices plaguing America’s vulnerable communities in a lecture, Do Black Lives Really Matter? Hill will discuss police violence, contaminated drinking water in Flint, Michigan, and the issue of mass incarceration (Saturday, Sept. 3, 3:30 p.m., Zellerbach Auditorium).
The lack of gender diversity at all organizational levels in industry, academia and the public sector will be the subject of the conference Women in Technology (Wednesday, Oct. 5, 11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sutardja Dai Hall, Banatao Auditorium). Speakers from tech companies, academia and government entities will discuss data, trends and insights on closing the gender gap.
A lecture and discussion series examining gun violence in America will begin this fall, and will engage the nation’s foremost experts on gun violence in framing public debate and laying the groundwork for new research and advocacy. In the series’ first discussion, UC Davis professor Garen Wintemute will discuss research related to firearm violence (Wedesday, Sept. 21, 5 p.m., 110 Boalt Hall).
Women in Technology conference, Wednesday, Oct. 5
An examination of how anxiety about race, gender and inequality is shaping the presidential campaign will be made in a panel discussion, “Surreal Politics.” Panelists include Henry Brady (dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy), Jonathan Stein (UC Berkeley alumnus and civil rights attorney), Sarah Anzia (political scientist) and Jack Glaser (social psychologist and Goldman faculty member) (Friday, Sept. 23, 7 p.m., Alumni House Toll Room).
Tensions and anxieties in the 2016 presidential campaign have led many to question the current state of the two-party system in America. Join Henry Brady, dean of the Goldman School, Lisa Garcia Bedolla, a professor in the Graduate School of Education, and Bill Whalen, a research fellow at Stanford University as they ponder whether political “outsiders” will make America multipartisan (Saturday, Oct. 1, 10:30 a.m., 155 Dwinelle Hall).
Karen Trapenberg-Frick, Thursday, Sept. 20
The use of technology outside of official channels to participate in political life will be examined by UC Berkeley adjunct professor Karen Trapenberg-Frick. The lecture will focus on conservative activists’ use of new media to communicate, organize and market their cause and refine tactics (Thursday, Sept. 20, 4 p.m., Wildavsky Room, 2538 Channing Way).
A full-day conference will explore the implications of several global economic and trade partnerships, including the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, or TPP. The possible outcomes of other partnership agreements, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, will be discussed by faculty and researchers from global universities (Friday, Oct. 21, 9 a.m., 180 Doe Library).
Hal Brands, Monday, Nov. 28
Hal Brands, an assistant professor of public policy at Duke University, will examine U.S. foreign policy and the rise of the post-Cold War order. Brands is the author of several books on international policy and currently a fellow on the Council on Foreign Relations and International Affairs (Monday, Nov. 28, 5 p.m., 223 Moses Hall).
To explore more Berkeley events, visit the Critic’s Choice calendar or sign up for weekly event emails. Watch for more stories this week highlighting fall events in the arts, science and global affairs.