Three Girls from Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Memoir of Race, Fate, and Sisterhood

We invite you to join us for a special conversation in our webinar series on Transitions. Three girls, living in the same building, growing up in the same neighborhood, seemingly on the same trajectory, with big dreams, and supportive families. But their choices and circumstances resulted in different paths. This is a compelling memoir about “transitions” writ large, from an award-winning journalist and novelist. 


Action NOW: Social Movements in the Floyd and COVID Era 

Watch the Recording: Social Movements in the Floyd and COVID Era

Following the global reckoning with race that took place following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, deep seated inequities came to the forefront of public consciousness and changed the nature of the movement for social and racial justice in the United States and beyond. Join Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University and an accomplished author and commentator, for an examination of the movement as it stands today and its historical parallels. 

Moderated by Alaina Beverly, Assistant Vice President for Urban Affairs at UChicago Office of Civic Engagement.


Speaking the Truth, Understanding Our History 

Watch the Recording: Speaking the Truth, Understanding Our History

Much of the history of civil rights has been simplified or lost, often for political purposes. In a recent article in the New Yorker, Jelani Cobb writes that "historical continuities" that "stand to be list in the mainstream American understanding," and the danger of forgetting or distorting the past. Join Cobb, a New Yorker columnist and Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism at Columbia University, for a discussion of movement of the past-and how it informs the struggles for voting rights and other racial justice issues today. 


Racism vs. Humanity: Can the Movement Transcend the Moment? 

Watch the Recording: Racism vs. Humanity: Can the Movement Transcend the Moment

Despite the history of racism in the United States being unique in many respects, the murder of George Floyd sparked protests across the globe. Has the movement transcended the moment- and the unique American story of race- toward a greater understanding of the commonalities of humanity? Or is something else at play? Join Valerie Jarrett, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of the Barack Obama Foundation, and Michael Nutter, a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Harris and a former Mayor of Philadelphia, for a fireside chat about what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King called the "arc of the moral universe"-and its current trajectory. 


Love, Justice, and Looking Toward the Future 

Watch the Recording: Love, Justice, and Looking Toward the Future

Love and justice are two key components of the message of the Reverend Dr. Otis B. Moss, III, the pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, which has been committed to social justice on Chicago's South Side since its founding. Yet love and justice seem hard to find in a world besieged by problems of mass incarceration, environmental justice, and economic inequality. Join Dr. Moss for an exploration of the greatest issues facing Black communities today and a vision for the future of social movements-starting within ourselves.