Experts warn that the Covid-19 pandemic will create barriers to voting for millions of Americans this November. But the public health crisis is hardly the only cause of this: intensified voter suppression efforts have been enacted over the past decade, creating impediments to the polls that often target communities of color. Moreover, the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder weakened the protections of the Voting Rights Act, paving the way for states to purge voter rolls and establish discriminatory voter ID laws.

In this virtual conversation, learn how communities, activists, and organizations are leading the fight to protect the vote — and what’s at stake for American democracy. Political strategist and commentator Karen Finney will moderate.

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

Speakers:
Dr. Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies, Emory University; Author, One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy
Dr. Theodore Johnson, Senior Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice
Moderator: Karen Finney, Political Strategist, Activist, Commentator

What’s next for criminal justice reform — and what will it take for the United States to truly grapple with its long history of racial injustice? Our panel will discuss potential courses of action during a pivotal time — after months of renewed racial reckoning, amid a public health crisis that has disproportionately impacted Black and Latino Americans, and before a critical national election.

Join us for a wide-ranging discussion about an expanding body of research that underscores the need to dramatically reduce the number of people trapped in our correctional system.

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

Speakers:
Keynote from Laura Arnold, Cofounder of Arnold Ventures
Lauren-Brooke Eisen, Director, Justice Program, Brennan Center for Justice
Rashad Robinson, President, Color Of Change
Topeka K. Sam, Founder and Executive Director, The Ladies of Hope Ministries (The LOHM)
Bruce Western, Bryce Professor of Sociology and Social Justice and Codirector, the Justice Lab at Columbia University; Author, Punishment and Inequality in America
Moderator: Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law, NYU School of Law