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Ford Hall Forum

The Ford Hall Forum is the nation's oldest continuously operating free public lecture series. Its mission is to foster an informed and effective citizenry and to promote freedom of speech through the public presentation of lectures, debates, and discussions. Forum events illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers. These speakers are presented in person, for free, and in settings, which facilitate frank and open debate.

http://www.fordhallforum.org/

Fixing What’s Broken: Climate & Environmental Policy

Wed, Feb 24, 2021

President Biden has promised an all hands on deck approach to tackling climate change, which he has described as an existential threat. To start, he created two new positions in the National Security Agency with an exclusive focus on climate at home and abroad. He has asked the National Intelligence, Defense and Treasury agency directors to add ecology to their portfolios. Finally, Biden took swift action during his first weeks in office to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, revoke the permit for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and order a review of hundreds of executive orders thought to be harmful to the environment. Will these steps make progress toward slowing down climate change? Will a deeply divided Congress be able to act decisively to take the necessary steps, along with the rest of the world, to slow, stop or reverse our course? The Washington Post audio producer Arjun Singh moderates a discussion on the promises and obstacles to achieving Biden’s Climate Agenda with Rachel Cleetus, Union of Concerned Scientists; Michél Legendre, Corporate Accountability; and Sririam Madhusoodanan, US Climate Campaign. _Presented by the Suffolk University Department of Political Science & Legal Studies, in collaboration with the Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University and hosted by GBH’s Forum Network._ ### Resources Read Rachel Cleetus’s, [“A Biden Presidency Means a New Day in the Fight for Climate Action.”](https://blog.ucsusa.org/rachel-cleetus/biden-climate-priorities) Learn what Rachel Cleetus thinks is next after rejoining the Paris Agreement, [here](https://blog.ucsusa.org/rachel-cleetus/paris-agreement-us-whats-next). See research on the compound climate risks of the pandemic, [here](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0804-2). Read the Union of Concerned Scientists’s, [“Underwater: Rising Seas, Chronic Floods, and the Implications for US Coastal Real Estate.”](https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/underwater)

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Fixing What’s Broken: Biden’s Equity Agenda

Thu, Feb 11, 2021

The last four divisive years follow decades of frustration from a lack of progress for racial justice and gender equity. Anger moved the debate into the streets, most notably with the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement and #MeToo protests, sometimes met with opposition from far right and white supremacist groups holding their own rallies and spurring on riots. President Biden made ambitious promises to address the country’s polarization born out of discrimination and inequality. The early days of his Administration featured a down payment on this promise with a flurry of executive actions and the record-setting pace for creating his own team, but can he bring about more lasting change with the help of Congress? Can he change the hearts and minds of Americans at large? Join us as we discuss the problems, the promises and the possibilities of Biden’s “Equity Agenda.” This event is the third in a spring series, Examining the First 100 Days of the Biden Administration, that focuses on the most important developments in the early days of the Biden Administration. Presented by the Suffolk University Department of Political Science & Legal Studies, in collaboration with the Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University and hosted by GBH’s Forum Network. Image: Gina Janovitz Design ### Resources Take a look at POLITICO’s [“I Spent 11 Hours Inside the MAGA Bubble.”](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/07/oan-trump-network-11-hours-466134) For research on media bias and to see a chart tracking media bias, [visit this site. ](https://www.adfontesmedia.com/) Geraldo was previously on the Daily Show with Tervor Noah discussing Latino voters and Hispanic Republicans, [learn more here.](https://www.cc.com/video/vrivo5/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-geraldo-cadava-the-hispanic-republican-latino-voters) Check out some of Geraldo’s thoughts about Latino politics and the partisan divide in [“The Deep Origins of Latino Support for Trump"](https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/the-deep-origins-of-latino-support-for-trump) and in [this New York Times op-ed.](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/opinion/trump-border-wall.html)

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Building the Team: Staffing Up, Rebuilding Capacity & Trust

Wed, Feb 3, 2021

President Biden made ambitious promises to address the country’s polarization born out of discrimination and inequality. The early days of his Administration featured a down payment on this promise with a flurry of executive actions and a record-setting pace for creating his own team, but will he bring about more lasting change with the help of Congress? Will he change the hearts and minds of Americans at large? Watch as our speakers discuss the problems, the promises and the possibilities of Biden’s “Equity Agenda.” This event is the third in a spring series, Examining the First 100 Days of the Biden Administration, that will focus on the most important developments in the early days of the Biden Administration. Guest speakers over the Spring semester will examine the ability of the 46th President and his team to affect change in some of the most vital policy areas that impact all of us. This lecture is presented by the Suffolk University Department of Political Science & Legal Studies, in collaboration with the Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University and hosted by GBH’s Forum Network. Image: Gina Janovitz Design ### Resources See Stephanie Murray’s political coverage at POLITICO, [here.](https://www.politico.eu/author/stephanie-murray/) Learn about Martha Kumar and the White House Transition Project, [here.](https://whitehousetransitionproject.org/) Read a volume edited by Meena Bose on the Office of Management and Budget’s role in presidential policy making that Brookings Institution published in 2020, [here.](https://www.brookings.edu/book/executive-policymaking/) See all of Biden’s Record-Breaking Cabinet Nominees, [In One Chart.](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/bidens-record-breaking-cabinet-in-one-chart/)

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What’s Next for the Biden Presidency?

Wed, Jan 13, 2021

Joseph R. Biden Jr. becomes the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021. The guy who wrote the book on U.S. inaugurations, Jim Bendat, talks about exactly how unconventional this convention will be and some of his insights might surprise you! Then, presidential and congressional scholars Julia Azari and Elaine Kamarck talk with Joe Mathieu, anchor and executive editor of GBH's Morning Edition, about the policy priorities, challenges and opportunities on the horizon for the Biden Administration. This event launches a new spring series, Examining the First 100 Days of the Biden Administration, that focuses on the most important developments in the early days of the Biden Administration. Presented by the Suffolk University Department of Political Science & Legal Studies, in collaboration with the Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University and hosted by GBH’s Forum Network. Image: Gina Janovitz Design ### Resources See Jim Bandat’s book on the details of U.S. inaugurations, [here.](https://www.inaugurationbook.com/) Watch Elaine’s book talk: [Why Presidents Fail and How They Can Succeed Again.](https://forum-network.org/lectures/elaine-c-kamarck-why-presidents-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed-again/) Learn more from Julia in our talk, [Partisanship vs. Pandemic: Common Enemy; Disjointed Response.](https://forum-network.org/lectures/partisanship-v-pandemic-common-enemy-disjointed-response/) Review these [five myths about presidential inaugurations](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-presidential-inaugurations/2017/01/13/77f5416c-d84c-11e6-9f9f-5cdb4b7f8dd7_story.html).

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Bearing Witness: Phoebe Potts shares from "Too Fat for China"

Thu, Oct 29, 2020

The third in the trilogy of women storytellers, "Too Fat For China" follows Phoebe Potts, comic storyteller and a self-described “professional Jew,” as she tries, fails and eventually succeeds to adopt a baby. Potts is the daughter of journalists from Brooklyn, where everyone was indignant before breakfast and stories were the currency of relationships. After a U.S. adoption goes horribly wrong, Potts finds herself surprised, disgusted and ultimately resigned to the role she plays as a middle-class white lady in the business of adopting babies in the U.S. and internationally. Potts’ tragicomic journey is about looking for more – more love, more life, and more family. She will do anything to get it, including having her morals and values fold in on themselves. With humor and honesty, Potts tells the story of the terrible things she did for love. The moderator is Shoshana Madmoni-Gerber, associate professor, Communication, Journalism, and Media Department, Suffolk University. Presented by Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University.

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Bearing Witness: Laura Levitt on The Objects That Remain

Thu, Oct 1, 2020

“The Objects That Remain” is Laura Levitt’s memoir and examination of the ways in which the material remains of violent crimes inform our thinking about trauma and loss. Considering artifacts in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and evidence in police storage facilities across the country, Levitt’s story moves between intimate trauma, the story of an unsolved rape, and genocide. She asks what it might mean to do justice to these violent pasts outside the justice system or through historical accounts. This talk is the first in a trilogy of women storytellers convened by Ford Hall Forum, the country's oldest public forum. Laura Levitt, author of “The Objects That Remain,” is a professor of Religion, Jewish Studies, and Gender at Temple University. Moderator Barbara Abrams is associate professor in the World Languages and Cultural Studies Department at Suffolk University.

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Bearing Witness: Alba Jaramillo and Patricia Davis discuss "Digna"

Thu, Oct 15, 2020

In the second of this trilogy of women storytellers, Alba Jaramillo and Patricia Davis talk about "Digna." Written by Patricia Davis, the one-woman play follows Digna Ochoa, played by Alba Jaramillo, a prominent Mexican human rights lawyer who suffered torturous attacks following her defense of environmentalist peasants in Mexico. By the age of 37 she had met President Clinton, became close to the Kennedy family, and won a MacArthur Fellowship and the Amnesty International’s Enduring Spirit award. In 2001, she was killed in her Mexico City office. In the play, Digna comes back from the dead in response to the worsening human rights crisis in Mexico. Jaramillo, an immigrant, human rights lawyer and activist herself, plays the role of Digna with conviction, passion and self-reflection. In telling her story and confronting her own doubts, Digna finds her strength and courage as she invites us to find our own. The evening’s moderator is Iani Moreno, associate professor, World Languages and Cultural Studies Department, at Suffolk University. Presented by Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University. This event is free and open to the public.

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America’s Divided Mind: The Psychology that Drives Us Apart

Thu, Sep 24, 2020

Deepening toxic polarization in the United States is a profound threat to the American people and the very core of American Democracy. After 30 years of working around the globe to bring peace and reconciliation to deeply divided societies, Beyond Conflict launched an unprecedented research project in 2018, the Beyond Conflict Polarization Index™, with leading brain and behavioral scientists to assess the psychological factors that fuel polarization. The study found a consistent pattern across measures: Americans incorrectly believe that members of the other party dehumanize, dislike, and disagree with them about twice as much as they actually do. These false perceptions about the other side are correlated with outcomes that are consequential for democracy and represent a new degree of toxic polarization in America. Watch a conversation with Tim Phillips, founder and CEO, Beyond Conflict and Scott Warren, visiting scholar, SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University, moderated by Michal Ben-Joseph Hirsch, assistant professor, Political Science & Legal Studies Department, Suffolk University. Phillips presents the key findings of Beyond Conflict's latest [study](http://beyondconflictint.org/americas-divided-mind/ ) on toxic polarization and discuss potential solutions to depolarize the public space. Image: Beyond Conflict Graphic

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Qualified Renters Need Not Apply

Wed, Sep 16, 2020

This talk explores race and voucher discrimination in the Metro Boston housing market. Members of the Suffolk University Law School Housing Discrimination Testing Program—William Berman, Jamie Langowski, Catherine LaRaia, James Matthews, and Ana Vaquerano—will discuss their recent groundbreaking study that uncovered high levels of race and voucher-based housing discrimination in the Boston area and how that research relates to the struggle for racial equity and fair housing. Soni Gupta, Director of Neighborhoods and Housing with The Boston Foundation is the moderator. Image: Pexels.com

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Does COVID-19 Change Everything? Building Our New Normal

Wed, Aug 19, 2020

Will COVID change everything? Will it change how we work, educate, govern, and play? Political strategist Roger Fisk leads a discussion with climate change expert Mark Boyer, economist Daron Acemoglu, human rights advocate Shareen Hertel, and pollster David Paleologos to explore what may come next as the pandemic progresses. In addition to considering the future of climate, politics, economics, social justice, and popular mobilization, they examine who may emerge from this massive inflection point as winners or losers. Finally, they explore the concept of crisis as an opportunity to fundamentally re-imagine and address some of the massive issues we face as a community, a nation, and a global society. This Suffolk University lecture series, presented with the Ford Hall Forum and WGBH Forum Network, is designed as a broad examination of the themes of interest to political scientists and public policy experts. The series is part of a novel online course offered to incoming Suffolk students and made available to the public. **Follow the course: Week 9 Assignment** Listen: [How green will Europe’s economic revival be?](https://politico.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e26c1a1c392386a968d02fdbc&id=8c52b433e4&e=e5164aaaf4) Pascal Canfin, the chair of the European Parliament’s environment committee, outlines what MEPs want to see from the EU’s recovery plan. Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron outlined their vision for that plan this week but how does the Parliament think the money should be raised and spent, particularly to help the EU meet its climate goals? [Imagining the New 9-5](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/imagining-the-new-9-5-teresa-ghilarducci/id1200758267?i=1000475066778) **Read:** Michael Osterholm, Mark Olshaker. “Chronicle of a Pandemic Foretold: Learning from the Covid-19 Failure – Before the Next Outbreak Arrives.” Foreign Affairs. 5/21/2020. ([PDF](https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.suffolk.edu/dist/9/1764/files/2020/06/Coronavirus_-Chronicle-of-a-Pandemic-Foretold.pdf)) The RAND Blog: [Relaxing COVID-19 Restrictions Presents Stark Health and Economic Choices](https://www.rand.org/blog/2020/05/relaxing-covid-19-restrictions-presents-stark-health.html) Project Syndicate: [How to Reset the US Pandemic Response](https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/deep-roots-of-disastrous-us-covid19-response-by-roman-frydman-and-gernot-wagner-2020-05?barrier=accesspaylog) Project Syndicate: [Time for a Great Reset](https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/great-reset-capitalism-covid19-crisis-by-klaus-schwab-2020-06?barrier=accesspaylog) Project Syndicate: [The Post-COVID State](https://www.project-syndicate.org/onpoint/four-possible-trajectories-after-covid19-daron-acemoglu-2020-06?utm_source=Project%20Syndicate%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=26aa4844a0-sunday_newsletter_07_06_2020&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_73bad5b7d8-26aa4844a0-93732177&mc_cid=26aa4844a0&mc_eid=644f0cb942&barrier=accesspaylog ) **Civic Engagement Activity & Reflection** Engage in at least one civic / political event of your choice during the course and document this with a short reflection essay. Try a virtual town or city hall meeting with local or state representatives, a meeting of an activist group, etc. The reflection should draw on readings from assignments and your own additional research. Members of the public who wish to share their reflections should post a link on Twitter and tag [@GBHForumNetwork ](https://twitter.com/GBHForumNetwork) and [@supolscilegal](https://twitter.com/supolscilegal).

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