Brennan Center x The New York Public Library
Racism and the American Promise: Theodore R. Johnson with Leah Wright Rigueur

Livestreaming on June 9 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (ET)

“Racism is an existential threat to America,” Theodore R. Johnson declares at the start of his new book, When the Stars Begin to Fall. That racism continues to corrode our society is a refutation of the American Promise, enshrined in our Constitution, which holds that all people are inherently equal. Weaving memories of his and his family’s multi-generational experiences with racism, alongside strands of history, Johnson lays out the case that national solidarity is the path toward diminishing racism, and that a blueprint for national solidarity can be found in the exceptional citizenship long practiced in Black America. Understanding that racism is a structural crime of the state, he argues that overcoming it requires us to recognize that a color-conscious society—not a color-blind one—is the true fulfillment of the American Promise.

Johnson discusses his faith in the American project and an urgent call to overcome what has long seemed intractable.

This event is produced in partnership with The New York Public Library.

Speakers:
Theodore R. Johnson, Director, Fellows Program, Brennan Center; Author, When the Stars Begin to Fall: Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America
Leah Wright Rigueur, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Brennan Center LIVE

After the Fall: Being American in the World We’ve Made

Livestreaming on June 7 from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. (ET)

As deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama, Ben Rhodes played a critical role in shaping U.S. relations with the rest of the world. After the 2016 election, however, he began traveling abroad in the hope of better understanding undemocratic currents at home. In his new memoir, After the Fall: Being American in the World We’ve Made, Rhodes shares insights gleaned from politicians, activists, and dissidents who have been on the frontlines of the fight against authoritarianism and ethnonationalism in their own countries. While clear-eyed about how the United States has contributed to these global trends, he offers a vision of how the country can usher in a brighter future. 

This event is produced in partnership with New York University’s John Brademas Center.

Speakers:
Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama; Author, After the Fall: Being American in the World We’ve Made
Vivian Salama, National Security Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal

Brennan Center LIVE

How the Word Is Passed: A Conversation with Clint Smith

Livestreaming on June 18 from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. (ET)

How can a deeper understanding of the legacy of slavery help the United States better address its current injustices? In his new book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, The Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith takes readers to nine monuments and landmarks — some that are honest about the past and some that are not — and reflects on how the history of slavery continues to reverberate today. As we celebrate emancipation on Juneteenth, Smith joins Theodore R. Johnson, director of the Brennan Center’s Fellows Program, to discuss the hopeful role that memory can play in making sense of our country.

This event is produced in partnership with New York University's John Brademas Center.

Speakers:
Clint Smith, Staff Writer, The Atlantic; Author, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
Theodore R. Johnson, Director, Fellows Program, Brennan Center
 

Brennan Center LIVE

The Engagement: A Conversation with Sasha Issenberg and Nia-Malika Henderson
Livestreaming on June 29 from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. (ET)

A 2015 Supreme Court ruling made making same-sex unions legal across the United States — but the road to that momentous decision was much longer than many know. In his new book, The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage, Sasha Issenberg tells the riveting story of the conflict over same-sex marriage in the United States —the most significant civil rights breakthrough of the new millennium — providing a richly detailed narrative that follows the coast-to-coast conflict through courtrooms and war rooms, bedrooms and boardrooms. In conversation with CNN’s Nia-Malika Henderson, Issenberg will discuss same-sex marriage’s unexpected path from the unimaginable to the inevitable.

Speakers:
Sasha Issenberg, Washington Correspondent, Monocle; Author, The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage
Nia-Malika Henderson, Senior Political Reporter, CNN