Past Events

The People’s Uprising and the Fall of the Warsaw Ghetto, April 1942–June 1943, a new book by Havi Ben-Sasson Dreifuss, sheds light on the lives, choices, and experiences of the tens of thousands of Jews who were not part of the underground armed resistance, but nonetheless supported the famed Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

This riveting and dramatic account focuses on the final year of the Warsaw ghetto, from the Great Deportation in the summer of 1942 through the suppression of the uprising in mid-1943. Drawing on powerful contemporary testimonies, diaries, and documents—many of them previously unexplored—Havi Ben-Sasson Dreifuss reveals how members of the broader Jewish population struggled to survive, maintain family and community life, and make impossible moral decisions in the face of fear, hunger, and daily violence. Looking beyond the fighters themselves, the book offers a story of devastation, but also of resilience and human dignity.

Stories from the Stage invites you to our home (studio) for an entertaining night of storytelling. What happens when a person shares a difficult truth? Come to hear first-person stories about choices that mattered: confessions that changed everything, secrets that refused to stay hidden, and moments of truth that bring about consequences. Whether a person stood their ground, kept the peace, dodged the question, or said what had to be said, guests will learn all about what transpired.

At Stories from the Stage, produced by GBH WORLD, ordinary people share extraordinary experiences that you will not soon forget. In each taping, we get up-close and personal with storytellers about what inspires them and the craft of storytelling.

Timeline

6:30pm Doors open to GBH's Atrium for the pre-reception

7:00pm Doors open to GBH's Calderwood Studio for seating

7-9:15pm Formal program with live storytellers


Event registration is required. Seating is general admission.


Photo credit: Stories from the Stage

Silkroad artistic director and Grammy award-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens leads a trio in a performance that demonstrates the power of musical storytelling. The event honors the legacy and impact of Boston’s Black Pullman Porters and brings history to life with the recognition of porter family members in attendance.

Harvard Book Store welcomed Caroline Maguire, in-demand expert in social emotional learning and a sought-after key-note speaker with more than 200 speaking engagements, for a discussion of her new book, "Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults: A Guide for the Anxious, Uniquely Wired, and Easily Distracted".

Friendship can be hard for many neurodivergent adults. There is an assumption that good, worthwhile friendships “should” come easy. However, for neurodivergent adults, there are brain-based reasons why friendship can feel less intuitive. From differences in the parts of the brain that are vital to managing the logistics of a fulfilling social life to difficulty with self-regulation, the way neurodiverse individuals experience social bonding and connection can feel unintuitive.

"Friendship Skills For Neurodivergent Adults" is a guide to navigate these differences, broken into three parts: How friendship works; How to find your people; How connecting will get you in motion.

Maguire will be joined in conversation by Brendan Mahan, host of the ADHD Essentials Podcast.

MassINC Greg Torres fellow Charlotte Golar Richie will convene her fellowship cohort as their two-year terms come to completion. Each Torres Fellow is a civic leader with a distinct project and a vision for the future they hope we’ll see in Massachusetts 30 years from now.

Some institutions are home to centers that study and aim to improve democracy. Among other functions, they involve students in their research, and they may study civic education.

On this panel, to discuss their institutions, civic involvement, and research, are:

Jessica Kimpell Johnson, Director of Research, Karsh Institute of Democracy; Manager of the John L. Nau III Lab on the History & Principles of Democracy, University of Virginia

Amy Binder, SNF-Agora Professor of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University

Mindy Romero, Founder and Director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID), University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy in Sacramento

Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, Founding Director of the Center for Governance and Markets; Professor, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs

Moderator: Leela Strong, Newhouse Director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), Tisch College at Tufts University

Photo by Laurie Swope for Tufts University, Apr 10, 2026.

This panel is part of the Civics in Higher Education National Summit that took place on the Tufts University campus on April 10, 2026.

Eboo Patel delivered a brief lecture at the midpoint of the Civics in Higher Education National Summit, considering the rise of civic thought centers on college campuses and how they should aspire to the ideal of America as "a diversity project."

Some higher ed institutions have developed curricular programs within a liberal arts curriculum for civic education, ranging from courses to majors and even schools. Political scientist Josiah Ober moderates a discussion focused on the importance of introducing primary sources, grounding teaching in great works of literature and why it’s important to include lived experience into the classroom. Panelists also highlighted the significance of developing cultural competency to make historic sources relevant and how prioritizing students’ critical thinking and reflection in the classroom is essential.

Some institutions are deeply engaged with their neighboring communities, and they understand that partnerships provide opportunities for civic learning while generating knowledge and other public goods. Three educators shared the details of their local civic involvement.

Jonathan Holloway, President & CEO of the Luce Foundation, greeted guests attending the Civics in Higher Education at Tufts University in April, 2026. He shares his own career journey and how he sees the opportunity for colleges and universities to play a transformative role in the lives of those who do not come from college-going traditions.