Join us for an unforgettable evening with four trailblazing women in the arts, each bringing their own unique vision on how art can heal our society—on a national, community, and personal level. Part performance, part interactive workshop, and part discussion, this dynamic event explores the themes of care, resilience, and self expression in times of challenge.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will join the Ford School community for a conversation on the Biden-Harris Administration’s record in transportation and infrastructure.
Join the Spectrum Center for a lunch and learn with Naomi Goldberg (MPP '08), executive director of the Movement Advancement Project. Explore the political landscape and current state of LGBTQIA2S+ civil rights, understand the stakes for queer and trans people in the upcoming election, and learn about safety at the polls. Empower yourself with knowledge, connect with others, and enjoy lunch (on us!) as you look ahead to making your own informed decisions.
Join the Ford School's Center for Racial Justice for a panelist discussion with our incoming Visiting Fellows cohort about the strategies, motivations, and lessons that shape the work of racial justice changemakers who work within and across various fields.
Join us for an inside look at how the FBI is tackling the evolving threats to U.S. elections, from cyberattacks to terrorism. Deputy Director Abbate will discuss the FBI's latest strategies and hard-earned lessons in defending democracy.
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
Climate policy is one of the key issues being discussed in the 2024 election cycle. This event will examine the larger issues and the specific effects of climate policy on the state of Michigan, as well as examining the issue through the lens of climate justice.
Join a conversation hosted by BasBlue co-founder Nancy Tellem with Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes on the topic Breaking the Mold: Redefining Work-Life Success for Modern Professional Women.
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams will address the challenges to American democracy, her work to guarantee voter access, and other civil rights battles facing the United States in 2024.
Democracy around the world is both robust -- two billion people will be able to cast a ballot in 2924 -- and fragile, as threats to the voting process, to the structures of democratic society, and to the voters themselves afflict many nations.
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall
Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
The opening session of the inaugural Dean's Symposium -- Policy Innovations for Today -- with a welcome from Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes and a keynote address from Cecilia Munoz, national public policy leader and former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
Cecilia Muñoz will reflect on her long career in social activism and policymaking, and on the challenges the U.S. continues to face regarding immigration and refugee affairs, social inclusion, and the role of public interest technology.
Rackham Auditorium
915 E. Washington St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
In partnership with Wallace House, award-winning journalist Kara Swisher discusses her newly released “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story,” her account of the tech industry and its founders who wanted to change the world but broke it instead.
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall
Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
The Honorable Lori Lightfoot, 56th mayor of Chicago, reflects on her background and preparation for public service, the challenges she faced as mayor, and lessons about leading in crises, in conversation with Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes.
Sanford and Joan Weill Hall (Annenberg Auditorium)
Join Washington Post journalists and editors as they discuss their investigative series, "The gun that divides a nation," which examines the devastation caused by AR-15 assault rifles as well as the weapon's allure in segments of American society. Presented in collaboration with Wallace House Center for Journalists.
University of Michigan Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
Join New York Times journalist and author Rachel Swarns as she discusses her book The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold To Build the American Catholic Church, a story of servitude and slavery spanning nearly two centuries and detailing the beginnings of Georgetown University and the U.S. Catholic Church. Swarns's journalism started a national conversation about universities with ties to slavery.
Watch live from this page
University of Michigan Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall, Annenberg Auditorium
(Room 1120)
The Ford School will welcome Montgomery, AL, Mayor Steven Reed to Weill Hall for an event on Tuesday, Jan. 16, in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Literati Bookstore
124 E. Washington St.
Ann Abor MI 48104
Literati Bookstore is proud to welcome Laura Meckler to present and discuss her book Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity. This event is presented in collaboration with Wallace House Center for Journalists, Education Policy Initiative, Center for Racial Justice, Youth Policy Lab, and The Department of English Language and Literature at The University of Michigan.
Join us for our Fall 2023 Democracy in Crisis event, a conversation with Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent, and Lynette Clemetson, Director of Wallace House Center for Journalists. Their wide-ranging discussion will cover the state of democracy and the role and responsibility of the press in a democratic society, as well as how Tapper’s experience of being an anchor and correspondent informs his craft of writing fiction.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Conversations Across Differences
Join the Ford School for a Conversations Across Difference event with U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and former U.S. Representative Fred Upton (R-MI) for a conversation on the State of the Union and the Congress, civil discourse, and democratic resillience.
Join Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes with Drs. Johnnetta Betsch Cole and Erica Lorraine Williams for a special book launch event at Spelman College.
Join for an important discussion on the complicated issue of race and policing in the United States, featuring New York Times Contributor Jessica Jaglois, and Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Detroit, Rochelle Riley.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will visit campus for a special event alongside CNN Anchor Chris Wallace as part of an ongoing partnership between the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Wallace House Center for Journalists, and U-M Democracy & Debate. The hour-long fireside chat between Governor Whitmer and Wallace will focus on politics, public service, and the media.
The Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley presents a special event to discuss the future of public policy in higher education featuring Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes among other Deans of Public Policy schools.
Join the Center for Racial Justice for a workshop on racial equity impact assessment with Niketa Brar (MPP '15), part of our Racial Justice in Practice workshop series. Open to U-M students, faculty, staff, and community partners.
University of Michigan Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
Wallace House Presents journalist and educator Jelani Cobb, in conversation with Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes to look at the historic challenges to democracy that centered around race, the impact of the media, and how this frames and informs the current moment.
The Center for Racial Justice proudly welcomes Angela Harrelson to the Ford School and the University of Michigan for the Masterclass in Activism. Angela Harrelson is the aunt of George Floyd, as well as the author of Lift Your Voice.
University of Michigan Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
Wallace House presents educator and writer for The New York Times Magazine, Linda Villarosa, as she examines racial health disparities in America and the toll racism takes on individuals and the health of our nation.
Join us for a conversation hosted at the Ford School by The Carter Center and the Gerald R. Ford Foundation that tackles how to buttress voter confidence in our democracy. Former Michigan U.S. Representatives Andy Levin (D-MI) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Amb (ret) Susan D. Page, Michigan Law and Ford School professor from practice and Carter Center trustee, will explore the bipartisan challenge of restoring faith in our democratic systems and highlight ways individuals can be part of the solution as we work together to uphold the standards of our democracy.
