Mon, 14 May 2018
Mass incarceration is among the nation’s greatest moral and racial injustices. We have five percent of the world’s population, but nearly a quarter of its prisoners. In recent years, a dynamic movement for change has swept across the country. How will it survive the current political climate? CNN host Van Jones, the author of the new book Beyond the Messy Truth, will discuss his drive to cut prison populations in half – and the challenge of fighting for change in a polarized America. He will be in dialogue with Darren Walker, the President and CEO of the Ford Foundation. Van Jones, President and Founder, DreamCorps; host, The Van Jones Show on CNN; author, Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation |
Mon, 14 May 2018
Every ten years, the federal government conducts the census of all people in the United States. The stakes are extraordinarily high, particularly in light of the push to include questions about citizenship. The tally determines everything from the allocation of congressional seats and the shape of legislative districts, to the flow of vast amounts of government funds. Political pressure is especially high this time, as demographic change transforms the country. In all, it's a potential crisis looming ahead – with huge ramifications for civil rights and government policy for years to come.
How could budgetary constraints, new and untested technologies, and potential political interference create obstacles to an accurate count? What are the steps engaged organizations and individuals can take to increase the likelihood of a successful census?
Join civil rights leader Vanita Gupta, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Wendy Weiser, Director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, Thomas Saenz, President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Joseph J. Salvo, Director of the NYC Department of Planning's Population Division, to unpack the many questions and challenges of the upcoming census. They will spotlight work that litigators are doing to bolster the health of the census and ensure the decisions that will impact our society in political and economic ways are made are based on honest and accurate calculations.
Vanita Gupta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Thomas Saenz, President and General Counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund Joseph J. Salvo, Director, Population Division of the NYC Department of Planning Wendy Weiser, Director, Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law |
Mon, 14 May 2018
The courts have proven a key battleground in the fights of the Trump era. On immigration, voting rights, freedom of religion and more, legal advocates are taking on federal policy – and, often, winning. What are these new legal strategies? Will they last? And how can issues of democracy, justice, and the rule of law become burning matters of public – not just legal – debate?
Alexander Heffner, Host, The Open Mind on PBS Becca Heller, Director and Co-Founder, IRAP; Visiting Clinical Lecturer in law, Yale Law School Jameel Jaffer, Executive Director, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University Neal Katyal, Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law, Georgetown Law; former Acting Solicitor General of the United States Faiza Patel, Co-Director, Liberty & National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice Elizabeth Wydra, President, Constitutional Accountability Center |