JFK Library Forums: Recent Episodes
Kennedy Library Forums
Kennedy Library Forums are a series of public affairs programs offered by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum to foster public discussion on a diverse range of historical, political, and cultural topics reflecting the legacy of President and Mrs. Kennedy's White House years.
Heather Cox Richardson, Boston College professor of history, discusses her new book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America with Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic.
Robert Costa, chief election and campaign correspondent for CBS News, discusses key issues in advance of the 2024 elections with David Gergen, senior political analyst at CNN and a White House adviser to four presidents.
Matthew Delmont, Dartmouth professor of history, discusses his recent book Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad, which explores the crucial contributions of the more than one million Black men and women who served in World War II, serving in segregated units and performing unheralded but vital support jobs, only to be denied housing and educational opportunities on their return home. Renée Graham, associate editor and columnist at The Boston Globe, moderates.
In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of President Kennedy’s June 1963 speech on civil rights, this special panel discussion explores civil rights issues in the 1960s and today. Mark Whitaker, CBS Sunday Morning contributor and author of “Saying it Loud: 1966 - The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement” moderates a conversation with Jonathan Eig, author of the new biography “King: A Life”; Judge Nancy Gertner (ret.), senior lecturer on law at Harvard Law School; David Greenberg, professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University; and Traci Parker, professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
In a nationally televised address in June 1963, President Kennedy addressed the most urgent domestic issue of the time: the struggle to guarantee civil rights for all Americans. In his speech, President Kennedy implored a nation divided by race, to rise to the challenge of that moment, to create a society in which all its citizens were afforded equal opportunity under the law. We acknowledge that the civil rights movement represented a challenge of President Kennedy’s leadership, but with this speech, he sought to lay the foundation for the protection of civil rights for generations to come.
On June 9, 2023, the JFK Library Foundation convened a special commemoration of this important moment in the historical timeline of social justice in America, featuring keynote remarks from 82nd U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. Following the keynote, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Rahsaan Hall, President and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts discussed civil rights through the intersection of the law and activism. Their conversation was moderated by Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Senior Opinion Writer for the Boston Globe.
John Avlon, author, columnist, and senior political analyst and anchor at CNN, discusses his new book “Lincoln and the Fight for Peace,” which explores Lincoln’s plan to secure a just and lasting peace after the Civil War, with Kellie Carter Jackson, professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College.
Colette Hemingway honors 2023 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel finalists and winner Oscar Hokeah, author of “Calling for a Blanket Dance,” at this celebration. Award-winning author Jennifer Haigh delivers the keynote address. The Kennedy Library is the major repository of Ernest Hemingway’s personal papers. This program is co-presented with The International Hemingway Foundation and Society.
Alex Prud’homme discusses his new book, “Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House,” a narrative history of food, politics, and twenty-six presidents from President Washington to President Biden, including President Kennedy. Sheryl Julian, writer, stylist, and former food editor of The Boston Globe, moderates.
Ellen Fitzpatrick, Presidential Chair and Professor of History at the University of New Hampshire; Doug Mills, White House photographer for The New York Times, and Darlene Superville, White House Correspondent for the Associated Press, explore key issues in covering the Presidency with Tamara Keith, NPR White House Correspondent and president of the White House Correspondents' Association.
Micheál Martin T.D., Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence of Ireland, marks the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Ireland and discusses the Irish-US relationship and key global issues with Kevin Cullen, columnist for The Boston Globe.
This program is supported in part through the Government of Ireland: Emigrant Support Programme.
Philip Alpers, founding director of GunPolicy.org at the University of Sydney School of Public Health; Jennifer Carlson, professor of sociology and government and public policy at the University of Arizona; Mugambi Jouet, professor of law at the University of Southern California; and Diego Sanjurjo, political scientist and coordinator of focused police crime prevention strategies at Uruguay’s Ministry of the Interior, explore comparative and international perspectives on firearms policy and gun control with Kristin Goss, professor of political science at Duke University.
This was a virtual Kennedy Library Forum.
Timothy Christian, professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, discusses his new book "Hemingway’s Widow: The Life and Legacy of Mary Welsh Hemingway" with Jenny Emery Davidson, executive director of The Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho.
This was a virtual Kennedy Library Forum.
Douglas Brinkley discusses his forthcoming book "Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, and the Great Environmental Awakening," which explores the rise of environmental activism, with Michael Eric Dyson, award-winning author and professor of African American and diaspora studies and of ethics and society at Vanderbilt University.
The program is made possible in part through the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
John A. Farrell, award-winning author and former Boston Globe correspondent, discusses his forthcoming book Ted Kennedy: A Life with David Nasaw, professor of history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
This special conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis will explore the Crisis and the lessons it still holds for us. Sessions will examine the historical context of the Crisis, as well as how lessons from the Crisis resonate with contemporary challenges.
Curator for special projects at the International Spy Museum Alexis Albion, intelligence and national security reporter at The Washington Post Shane Harris, New York University professor of public service and of history Tim Naftali, and staff writer at The Atlantic Tom Nichols analyze the role of intelligence in the Crisis and in the present day in the conference’s second session.
This special conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis will explore the crisis and the lessons it still holds for us. Sessions will examine the historical context of the crisis, as well as how lessons from the crisis resonate with contemporary challenges. Activist and author Daniel Ellsberg (virtual), Harvard professor of business administration Nancy Koehn (virtual), New York University professor of public service and of history Tim Naftali, Johns Hopkins professor of historical studies Mary Sarotte (virtual), and University of Virginia professor of history Philip Zelikow (virtual) discuss the history of the crisis and crisis leadership in the conference’s first session.
Senator Patrick Leahy, president pro tempore of the Senate and the chamber’s current longest-serving member, discusses his new book "The Road Taken: A Memoir," which explores more than four decades of service spanning nine presidential administrations, with former Senator Christopher J. Dodd.
Jonathan Capehart, associate editor for The Washington Post and anchor of MSNBC’s The Sunday Show, and Ali Vitali, Capitol Hill correspondent for NBC News and author of Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put A Woman in the White House…Yet, explore key issues in advance of the midterm elections with Lisa Desjardins, correspondent for PBS NewsHour.
Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation and presidential historian for ABC News, discusses his new book "Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency" with Martin Dobrow, professor of communications at Springfield College.
Jeff Nussbaum, political speechwriter, discusses his new book "Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches That Would Have Rewritten History,"
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which explores the context of undelivered speeches by notable figures including Presidents Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Nixon; John Lewis, Hillary Clinton, and Condoleeza Rice. Mark Arsenault, reporter at The Boston Globe, moderates.
Simon Coveney TD, Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense, discusses Ireland’s foreign policy, the Irish-US relationship and key global issues with Dr. Robert Mauro, director of the Irish Institute and founding director of the Global Leadership Institute at Boston College.
This program is supported in part through the Government of Ireland: Emigrant Support Programme.
Seán Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s grandson, honors 2022 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel finalists and winner Torrey Peters, author of Detransition, Baby, at this celebration. Award-winning author and environmentalist Terry Tempest Williams delivers the keynote address. The Kennedy Library is the major repository of Ernest Hemingway’s personal papers. This program is co-presented with The International Hemingway Foundation and Society.
Will Hurd, former Congressman, cybersecurity executive, and CIA officer, discusses his forthcoming book “American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done” with Archon Fung, professor of citizenship and self-government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University professor of history and international relations and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, and Tom Nichols, US Naval War College professor of National Security Affairs and contributing writer at The Atlantic, explore latest developments in the crisis in Ukraine with Alexandra Vacroux, executive director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.
Kate Clifford Larson, visiting scholar at the Brandeis Women’s Studies Research Center, discusses her new book "Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer" which draws on new interviews and fresh archival material to explore Hamer’s life and impact on the civil rights movement. Karsonya (Kaye) Wise Whitehead, professor of communication and African and African American studies at Loyola University Maryland, moderates.
Kennedy Library education and public programs on civil rights and social justice are supported in part by AT&T.
Baylor Fox-Kemper, professor of earth, environmental, and planetary sciences at Brown University; Courtney Humphries, journalist and author; Paul Kirshen, professor of climate adaptation at the University of Massachusetts Boston; Sanjay Seth, climate resilience program manager for the City of Boston; and the Rev. Vernon K. Walker, senior program manager at Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), explore sea level rise and its implications for coastal areas, including cities like Boston, with Barbara Moran, correspondent on WBUR’s environmental team.
Neal Thompson, journalist and author, discusses his forthcoming book "The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty," which draws on previously unreleased records to explore the lives of Bridget and Patrick Kennedy, with Christine Kinealy, professor of history and director of Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University.
This program is supported in part through the Government of Ireland: Emigrant Support Programme.
The Kennedy Library and GBH partner for an exclusive preview and discussion of the new PBS American Experience documentary The American Diplomat. Ambassador (Ret.) Aurelia Brazeal, Director Leola Calzolai-Stewart and Duke professor of history Adriane Lentz-Smith discuss the film and explore the experience of African American diplomats serving during the Cold War with American Experience executive producer Cameo George. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative to the United Nations, and Patricia Harrison,President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, introduce the program.
Congressman Ro Khanna discusses his forthcoming book "Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us," which explores how the digital economy can create opportunities for people across the country, with Arlie Russell Hochschild, professor emerita of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dayna Cunningham, Dean of Tufts’ Tisch College of Civic Life, and Edward Glaeser, Harvard professor of economics and co-author of the forthcoming book "Survival of the City: Living and Thriving in an Age of Isolation" explore key issues affecting the future of cities with columnist and former Boston Globe editorial page editor Renée Loth.
Mara Hvistendahl, investigative reporter and author of "The Scientist and the Spy: A True Story of China, the FBI, and Industrial Espionage"; Dana Priest, The Washington Post investigative reporter and chair of public affairs journalism at the University of Maryland; and Tim Weiner, author of "The Folly and the Glory: America, Russia, and Political Warfare 1945-2000," examine key issues in intelligence and espionage with Tim Naftali, NYU professor of history and public service and CNN presidential historian.
Michael Dobbs, author and former longtime reporter for The Washington Post, discusses his new book "King Richard: Nixon and Watergate - An American Tragedy" with award-winning author and journalist Evan Thomas.
Tom Nichols, US Naval War College professor of National Security Affairs, columnist for USA Today, and contributing writer at The Atlantic, discusses his new book "Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from Within on Modern Democracy" with Heather Cox Richardson, Boston College professor of history.
Kendra Davenport Cotton, chief operating officer at the New Georgia Project; Robert Griffin, senior research advisor and research director for the Voter Study Group at Democracy Fund; Taeku Lee, University of California, Berkeley professor of political science and of law; Gabriel R. Sanchez, University of New Mexico professor of political science and a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution; and Tova Wang, Democracy Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance, explore recent demographic trends and their significance for future elections with award-winning journalist and author Larry Tye.
José Andrés, chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, and David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, discuss current actions and responses to hunger and malnutrition with Laura Reiley, reporter for The Washington Post covering the business of food.
The Kennedy Library's education and public programs related to civil rights and social justice are sponsored in part by AT&T.
Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy and distinguished professor and chair at Texas Tech University, discusses her book "Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World" with Reyhaneh Maktoufi, host, co-producer, and illustrator of PBS/NOVA’s "Sciencing Out," Rita Allen Foundation Civic Science Fellow in Misinformation, and science communication researcher.
This program was supported in part by the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation.
Patricia Sullivan, professor of history at the University of South Carolina, discusses her new book "Justice Rising: Robert Kennedy’s America in Black and White," which draws on government files, personal papers, and oral interviews to examine Robert F. Kennedy’s life and legacy. Kenneth Mack, professor of law and history at Harvard University, moderates.
Kennedy Library education and public programs on civil rights and social justice are supported in part by AT&T.
Julia Sweig, award-winning author and nonresident senior research fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin, discusses her new book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, which draws on the largely unknown and overlooked audio diaries that Mrs. Johnson kept during her years in the White House. Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, moderates.
Peter Coleman, Columbia professor of psychology and education and author of the forthcoming "The Way Out: How To Overcome Toxic Polarization"; Archon Fung, professor of citizenship and self-government at the Harvard Kennedy School; the Reverend Irene Monroe, theologian, syndicated columnist, and co-host of GBH’s "All Rev’d Up" podcast; Amanda Ripley, author of the forthcoming "High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out"; and Deb Roy, MIT professor of media arts and sciences and director of the MIT Center for Constructive Communication, explore productive discussions across conflicts and divides with Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service.
Karen Tumulty, political columnist for The Washington Post, discusses her forthcoming book, "The Triumph of Nancy Reagan," which draws on archives, letters, memoirs, White House records, and four years of interviews with people close to the Reagans to reveal new details of the multifaceted character of the First Lady. Eileen McNamara, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Boston Globe columnist and Brandeis professor of the practice of journalism, moderates.
Reginald Dwayne Betts, poet, memoirist and teacher; Tracie Keesee, co-founder, Center for Policing Equity; Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Harvard professor of history, race, and public policy; and Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, discuss current issues in police and justice reform with Errin Haines, Editor-at-Large, The 19th.*
Kennedy Library education and public programs on civil rights and social justice are supported in part by AT&T.
Theresa Cardinal Brown, Bipartisan Policy Center director of immigration and cross-border policy; Roberto Gonzales, Harvard professor of education and director of the Immigration Initiative at Harvard; Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, UMass Boston Chancellor; Daniel Tichenor, University of Oregon chair of social science and Program for Democratic Governance director; and Jia Lynn Yang, The New York Times national editor and author of "One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965," explore the history of and contemporary issues in US immigration policy with Julia Preston, contributing writer to The Marshall Project.
Anthea Butler, professor of religious studies and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania; EJ Dionne, The Washington Post columnist and visiting professor at the Harvard Divinity School; Patrick Lacroix, author of John F. Kennedy and the Politics of Faith; Emmett Price, professor of worship, church, and culture at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; and Simran Jeet Singh, Religion News Service columnist and Spirited podcast host, examine the intersection of religion and politics with Margery Eagan, co-host of GBH’s Boston Public Radio.
For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
Panelists including Lisa Lerer, reporter at The New York Times, and Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and CNN Political Analyst, discuss opportunities and challenges for the incoming administration, as well as reflect on the significance of the Biden-Harris victory in the 2020 elections. NBC News correspondent Harry Smith moderates.
Explore more at jfklibrary.org/forums.
Award-winning musician and Emerson College artist-in-residence Toshi Reagon and the Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, founding pastor of the New Roots AME Church and fellow with the Green Justice Coalition, discuss how the belief systems that define and maintain our societies impact the planet and influence our survival with Porsha Olayiwola, the City of Boston's Poet Laureate. Co-presented in conjunction with the city wide read of Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower and in association with Parable Path Boston, ArtsEmerson, New Roots AME Church and the Boston Public Library.
For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
Panelists including Dan Balz, chief correspondent at The Washington Post; Jonathan Capehart, opinion columnist at The Washington Post; Maria Hinojosa, president and founder of Futuro Media and anchor and executive producer of Latino USA; and Alice Stewart, CNN commentator, NPR contributor, and Harvard Institute of Politics fellow, interpret the results of the 2020 elections. Award-winning author Evan Thomas moderates.
Explore more at jfklibrary.org/forums.
In this culminating keynote session of the Kennedy Library's "Expanding Democracy" conference, Judge Nancy Gertner (ret.), senior lecturer on law at Harvard Law School, and former Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Margaret Marshall deepen the conversation about the judicial role in contemporary voting rights with Barbara Howard, former anchor of WGBH’s All Things Considered.
The two-day conference commemorates the centennial of the 19th Amendment and explores contemporary and historic issues about this landmark legislation. For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
In commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this conference will explore the history of the suffrage movement and how efforts to broaden voting rights have evolved over time. Sessions will explore the origins and development of suffrage efforts as well as contemporary voting rights issues.
Join University of Virginia professor of politics Jennifer Lawless, University of Massachusetts Boston professor of political science Erin O’Brien, Harvard University professor of government and sociology Theda Skocpol, University of South Carolina professor emerita of history Marjorie Spruill, and Suffolk University professor of government and moderator Rachael Cobb as they explore contemporary issues related to the 19th Amendment.
In commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this conference will explore the history of the suffrage movement and how efforts to broaden voting rights have evolved over time. Sessions will explore the origins and development of suffrage efforts as well as contemporary voting rights issues.
Join UCLA professor emeritus of history Ellen DuBois, Johns Hopkins professor of history Martha S. Jones, University of Connecticut professor of history Manisha Sinha, author Brenda Wineapple, and Carnegie Mellon professor of history and moderator Lisa Tetrault as they explore the history and origins of the movement.
Molly Ball, national political correspondent for TIME and author of the new book Pelosi, and Susan Page, USA Today’s Washington bureau chief and author of the forthcoming Madam Speaker, discuss Nancy Pelosi’s career and leadership as Speaker of the House of Representatives with Nancy Cordes, chief congressional correspondent for CBS News.
This was the first session in the two-day Kennedy Library conference Expanding Democracy: The 19th Amendment and Voting Rights Today commemorating the centennial of the 19th Amendment.
Barbara Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll; Henry Fernandez, co-founder of the African American Research Collaborative; Jill Lepore, Harvard professor of history; and Anthony Salvanto, CBS News Director of Elections and Surveys, discuss the history of and contemporary trends in political polling with longtime former ABC reporter and anchor Charlie Gibson.
Explore more at jfklibrary.org/forums.
The New Yorker contributor Barry Blitt; cartoonist Pia Guerra; and Washington Post editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes explore the art of political cartooning with Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.
For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
Gretchen Sorin, director of the Cooperstown Graduate Program of the State University of New York and author of Driving While Black: African-American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights; director Ric Burns and producer and editor Emir Lewis of the forthcoming PBS documentary Driving While Black based on her research, discuss how the automobile transformed African American life with Spencer Crew, Acting Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.
For more information, visit jfklibary.org/forums.
Robert Trogdon, Kent State University professor of English and editor of the Library of America’s forthcoming “Ernest Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises & Other Writings 1918-1926,” discusses this new edition of writings from Hemingway’s earliest years in Paris with Kennedy Library Hemingway Scholar in Residence Hilary Justice.
Explore more at jfklibrary.org/forums.
Award-winning journalist Larry Tye discusses his new book Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy with Pulitzer Prize-winning former Boston Globe columnist Eileen McNamara.
For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
Senator Sherrod Brown discusses his new book, Desk 88: Eight Progressive Senators Who Changed America, which explores the careers of senators who have also sat at Desk 88 on the Senate floor, including Hugo Black, George McGovern, and Robert F. Kennedy. Senator Jeanne Shaheen moderates.
For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University professor of history and international relations and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, discusses his forthcoming book JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956 with George Packer, staff writer at The Atlantic.
For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
Ambassador (Ret.) Nicholas Burns, Harvard professor of diplomacy and international relations; Robert Mauro, director of the Boston College Irish Institute and Global Leadership Institute; and Alexandra Vacroux, executive director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, discuss US foreign policy challenges and opportunities in Europe. Andrew Gray, EU editor at POLITICO Europe, moderates.
Explore more at jfklibrary.org/forums.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham discusses his new book, “His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope” with Michelle Miller, co-host of CBS This Morning: Saturday and CBS News national correspondent.
Explore more at jfklibrary.org/forums.
John Dickerson, correspondent for CBS’ 60 Minutes and contributing writer to The Atlantic, discusses his new book "The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency." Barbara Perry, professor and director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, moderates.
For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
Chris Wallace, longtime journalist and anchor of Fox News Sunday, discusses his new book, "Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World," exploring the days leading up to the first use of the atomic bomb in wartime. David Martin, national security correspondent for CBS News, moderates.
Lucy Hornby, a fellow at the Nieman Center for Journalism and former Beijing deputy bureau chief for the Financial Times, and Yasheng Huang, MIT professor of international management, discuss US foreign policy challenges and opportunities with Anthony Saich, Harvard professor of international affairs and director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. This program is co-presented with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
Mary Sarah Bilder, Boston College professor of law; Edward B. Foley, Ohio State University professor of constitutional law; and Jesse Wegman, author of Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College, discuss the history of and contemporary challenges to the Electoral College. Jonathan Kaufman, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and editor and Director of Northeastern University’s School of Journalism, moderates.
For more info on past and future forums, visit jfklibrary.org/forums. To watch video recordings of events, find the JFK Library channel on YouTube.
EJ Dionne, Washington Post columnist and political commentator; Janet Hook, staff writer at The Los Angeles Times; and Ronald Brownstein, senior editor at The Atlantic, discuss implications of the novel coronavirus for the 2020 elections. Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty moderates the panel.
For more info on upcoming and past John F. Kennedy Library Forums, visit jfklibrary.org/forums. And check out the JFK Library YouTube channel for event video recordings.
Akhil Amar, professor of law and political science at Yale University, and Eric Foner, professor emeritus of history at Columbia University and author of "The Second Founding: How Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution," discuss constitutional changes and challenges throughout our nation’s history. Kenneth Mack, professor of law and history at Harvard University, moderates.
For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.
Stacey Abrams, New York Times bestselling author, nonprofit CEO, former Georgia House Democratic Leader and 2018 Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, discusses her distinguished career and continuing work on voting rights and social issues with Jonathan Capehart, opinion writer for The Washington Post.
Mo Rocca, correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and frequent panelist on NPR’s Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, discusses his new book, Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving, featuring remarkable lives of leaders, innovators, and artists worthy of greater attention. Rick Berke, co-founder and executive editor of STAT and former longtime reporter and editor at The New York Times, moderates.
Roland Mesnier, White House executive pastry chef from 1979 - 2004, discusses his distinguished career and new book, Creating the Sweet World of White House Desserts: A Pastry Chef’s Secrets with Sheryl Julian, former food editor of The Boston Globe.
Ash Carter, former Secretary of Defense and director of Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, discusses his distinguished career and new book, Inside the Five-Sided Box: Lessons from a Lifetime of Leadership in the Pentagon with David Martin, national security correspondent for CBS News.
Tatiana Schlossberg, author of Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have, and Rachel Cleetus, climate and energy program policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, discuss the environmental impact inherent in our everyday choices with David Cash, dean of the McCormack Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee discusses her distinguished career and contemporary civil rights issues. Kenneth Mack, professor of law and history at Harvard University, moderates.
Senator Doug Jones, author of Bending Toward Justice: The Birmingham Church Bombing that Changed the Course of Civil Rights, and William Baxley, former Attorney General of Alabama, discuss the decades-long efforts to prosecute the 16th Street Baptist Church bombers. Margaret Burnham, professor and founder and director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University, moderates.
Award-winning author Evan Thomas and his wife Oscie Thomas, an attorney and frequent collaborator on his books, discuss his new book First: Sandra Day O’Connor, drawn from exclusive interviews and first-time access to the archives of America’s first female Supreme Court justice. Barbara Perry, professor and director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, moderates.
Gerard Baker, editor at large at The Wall Street Journal, Ambassador (Ret.) Nicholas Burns, Harvard professor of diplomacy and international relations, and Karen Donfried, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, discuss current developments in the Brexit process with Elaine Papoulias, executive director of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies.
Former NASA astronaut Daniel Burbank, currently Senior Technical Fellow for Mission Systems at Collins Aerospace Systems, discussed his experience from more than two decades at NASA, including his time aboard the International Space Station.
NASA Engineer Su Curley, who works on crew survival spacesuits and hardware for the Orion Program, including the journey to Mars, discussed current spacesuit technology and showed visitors how suits are used for spacewalking.
You can watch a video of this event on the JFK Library website.
Dr. Lonnie Johnson, founder of Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc, and holder of over 100 patents, discussed his career in invention – from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab to inventing the Super Soaker®, the most popular water toy in history.
You can watch a video of this event via the JFK Library's website.
Alan Price, Director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum welcomed guests to JFK Space Fest 2019 and introduced a video greeting from NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Following this welcome and greeting, Dr. Franklin Chang Díaz, founder and CEO of the Ad Astra Rocket Company, discussed his research and career, including 25 years’ service as a NASA astronaut and a veteran of seven space shuttle flights. He is the author of Dream’s Journey and To Mars and Beyond, FAST!
You can watch a video of this event via the JFK Library's website.
Todd S. Purdum, staff writer at The Atlantic, discusses his new book, Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution, with Don Aucoin, chief theater critic for The Boston Globe.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, Apollo 11 Lunar Command Module pilot Michael Collins, former NASA administrator Charles Bolden, former director of the Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa, and former NASA deputy administrator Dava Newman discuss NASA’s past, present, and future with National Air and Space Museum director Ellen Stofan. This program is supported in part by Raytheon Company and Draper.
Watch the video of the event via the JFK Library website.
This panel was part of the 2019 JFK Space Summit, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing and President Kennedy’s vision that launched the effort to get there. Hosted by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, this day-long symposium highlighted the history that led to the first Moon landing, current scientific and technological space initiatives, and the future of space exploration. The program challenges Americans to learn from the past, draw inspiration from President Kennedy’s vision, and renew our civic commitment to solving the great challenges of our own time.
His ExcellencyJuan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia, Nobel laureate, and Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, discusses key global issues and reflects on his distinguished career with Professor Ricardo Hausmann, director of Harvard's Center for International Development and former Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank.
Award-winning author and Rice University professor of history Douglas Brinkley discusses his new book, American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race, with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Harvard professor of history Fredrik Logevall. This program is supported in part by Raytheon Company and Draper.
Colin Calloway, Dartmouth professor of history and author of The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, The First Americans, and the Birth of the Nation, and Julia A. King, St.
Stuart E. Eizenstat, former chief White House domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter and Ambassador to the European Union, discusses his new book, President Carter: The White House Years, with Meredith Evans, director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.
You can watch this forum by visiting the event's webpage on the John F. Kennedy Library site.
Keith Hamilton Cobb, actor and author of American Moor, and David Howse, executive director of ArtsEmerson, examine the powerful role performance can play in catalyzing conversations on race, equality, and social challenges with Lizzy Cooper Davis, a professor at Emerson working at the intersection of arts and social justice.
E.J. Dionne, Washington Post columnist, political commentator, and visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School, examines the role of religion in American politics with Margery Eagan, co-host of WGBH's Boston Public Radio.
Panelists including Mara Liasson, NPR national political correspondent, Mark Preston, CNN executive director of political programming and senior political analyst, and Kate Zernike, political reporter for The New York Times interpret the results of the 2018 midterm elections. Nancy Cordes, chief congressional correspondent for CBS News, moderates.
Panelists including Mara Liasson, NPR national political correspondent, Mark Preston, CNN executive director of political programming and senior political analyst, and Kate Zernike, political reporter for The New York Times interpret the results of the 2018 midterm elections. Nancy Cordes, chief congressional correspondent for CBS News, moderates.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin discusses her new book, Leadership in Turbulent Times, which explores the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson, with Robin Young, co-host of WBUR's Here and Now. This program is supported in part by Frank F. Islam and Debbie Driesman.
Panelists including Tom Nichols, professor of national security affairs at the US Naval War College, Alina Polyakova, David M. Rubenstein Fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, and Nina Tumarkin, profesor of Slavic studies and history at Wellesley College, examine US foreign policy issues concerning Russia with Alexandra Vacroux, executive director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.
The Kennedy Library and Discovery partner for an exclusive preview and discussion of Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow, a new documentary by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy. Meghna Chakrabarti, host of NPR and WBUR’s On Point, moderates. This program is presented in conjunction with the 2018 GlobeDocs Film Festival and HUBweek.
Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, and LaDonna Harris, founder and president of Americans for Indian Opportunity, discussed Kennedy's new book, Robert F. Kennedy: Ripples of Hope, a collection of interviews with world leaders, activists, and celebrities about her father’s influence. Peter Edelman, Georgetown law professor and former advisor to Senator Robert F. Kennedy, moderated.
James and Deborah Fallows, authors of Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America, and Hillary Frey, executive editor of HuffPost, discussed contemporary issues facing the heart of America with Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor of history at the University of New Hampshire.
Wellesley professor of Asian studies and political science Katharine H.S. Moon and senior fellow for Japan studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Sheila A. Smith discussed US foreign policy issues in Asia with Ambassador (Ret.) Nicholas Burns, Harvard professor of diplomacy and international relations.
In honor of the Leonard Bernstein centennial, Harvard professor of music Thomas Forrest Kelly explored the impact of the relationship between Bernstein and the Kennedy Administration, which continues to influence the artistic and cultural life of America. Due to copyright restrictions, this recording does not include the performance by the Boston Lyric Opera.
Former longtime CBS journalist Bob Schieffer discussed his new book, Overload: Finding the Truth in Today’s Deluge of News, with Harvard professor of history and author of These Truths: A History of the United States, Jill Lepore.
Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor, author, and musician John Lithgow discussed his distinguished career and the importance of the arts with Robin Young, co-host of WBUR's Here and Now. This program was supported in part by the Mass Cultural Council.
Seán Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s grandson, presents the 2018 PEN/Hemingway Award at this ceremony to Weike Wang for her novel Chemistry. Ricardo Cortez Cruz, author of Straight Outta Comptonand Five Days of Bleeding, will be the keynote speaker. The Kennedy Library is the major repository of Ernest Hemingway's personal papers. This program is presented in partnership with PEN/New England and PEN/America.
Pulitzer Prize-winning former Boston Globe columnist Eileen McNamara discusses her new book, Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World, with award-winning journalist Larry Tye.
Susan Benesch, director of the Dangerous Speech Project, Jennifer Peter, managing editor of The Boston Globe, and Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, discuss contemporary First Amendment issues. Award-winning journalist and senior correspondent for WBUR's Bostonomix Bruce Gellerman moderates.
Lawrence O’Donnell, author of Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics and host of MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell; Fredrik Logevall, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam; and Christian Appy, professor of history at UMass Amherst and author of American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity discuss the critical events of 1968 in Vietnam and in American politics with Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor of history at the University of New Hampshire.
Join reporters and community and business leaders in a discussion of the recent series,"Boston. Racism. Image. Reality." As Boston builds out, how do we make sure there's a different blueprint for our future? How does Boston become a more welcoming city to all? Award-winning journalist and pastor of Roxbury Presbyterian Church Liz Walker leads the conversation. This program is supported in part by the Hyams Foundation, National Grid, and The Partnership, and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
In commemoration of Presidents’ Day, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon S. Wood discusses his new book, Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Harvard professor of history Annette Gordon-Reed moderates.
Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent at The Washington Post, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, University of Pennsylvania professor of communication, and Tom Nichols, author of The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters, discuss
Peter Edelman, Georgetown law professor and former advisor to Senator Robert F. Kennedy, discussed key challenges raised in his new book, Not a Crime to Be Poor: The Criminalization of Poverty in America, with Lisa Mullins, host of WBUR’s All Things Considered.
Chris Matthews, anchor of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, discusses his new book, Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit, with Martin Nolan, former reporter and editor for The Boston Globe.
Richard Aldous, professor of history at Bard College, discussed his book, Schlesinger: The Imperial Historian, a biography of Arthur Schlesinger Jr., special assistant to President Kennedy, with Timothy Naftali, NYU professor of history and public service and CNN contributor.
Misty Copeland, a Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, discussed her distinguished career with Meghna Chakrabarti, the host of WBUR's Radio Boston.
His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations and Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, discussed key global issues and reflected on his distinguished diplomatic career with David Gergen, Senior Political Analyst for CNN and Co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Christopher Cassidy, Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office and NASA Spacesuit Engineer Su Curley highlight space exploration and equipment, including what it’s like to live and work on the International Space Station. This program is presented as part of the JFK Centennial Celebration.
David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, discusses his new collection of speeches, The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For, with longtime former ABC reporter and anchor Charlie Gibson. This program is presented as part of the JFK Centennial Celebration.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Washington columnist for the Boston Globe, Tom Oliphant, and former Boston Globe reporter and professor of journalism at the University of Mississippi, Curtis Wilkie, discuss their new book The Road to Camelot: Inside JFK's Five-Year Campaign with Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor of history at the University of New Hampshire.
Award-winning author and former Boston Globe correspondent John A. Farrell will discuss his new book, Richard Nixon: The Life with Brian McGrory, editor of The Boston Globe.
Stephen Kennedy Smith and Douglas Brinkley, co-editors of JFK: A Vision for America, discuss President Kennedy's legacy with Harvard University professor Frederik Logevall.
Dr. Andrew Farah, Chief of Psychiatry, High Point Division, University of North Carolina Healthcare System, discussed his new book, Hemingway's Brain with Dr. Linda Miller.
Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders and Dr. James O'Connell, President of Boston Health Care for the Homeless,discussed key healthcare issues, as well as challenges and opportunities for consumers. WCVB's Emily Riemer mode
Former US Secretary of Energy and MIT Professor of Physics Ernest J. Moniz discussed key issues related to climate, clean energy, and nuclear security with David Gergen, senior political analyst for CNN and professor of public service and co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Acclaimed Irish broadcaster and Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy and Ireland's current laureate for children's literature, illustrator P.J. Lynch, discussed President Kennedy's 1963 visit to Ireland with author and Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe journalist Kevin Cullen.
Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans, the Rev. Mark V. Scott, Associate Pastor at the Azusa Christian Community and member of the City of Boston's Streetworker Team, and the Rev. Jeffrey L. Brown, founder of RECAP (Rebuilding Every Community Around Peace), discussed the successes and challenges facing the community. Byron Barnett, reporter for 7News WHDH and host of Urban Update, moderated.
Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith discussed her new book The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy with her son Stephen Smith. Pulitzer Prize-winning former Boston Globe columnist Eileen McNamara moderated.
On the eve of the inauguration, Tom Ashbrook, host of WBUR’s On Point, moderated a discussion on opportunities and challenges for the Trump administration with Brian McGrory, editor of The Boston Globe; Heather Cox Richardson, historian at Boston College and author of To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party; and Ron Suskind, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and director of the Investigative Journalism Project at Harvard Law School.
John Dickerson, moderator of Face the Nation, Political Director of CBS News and Slate magazine columnist, discussed his new book Whistlestop: My Favorite Stories from Presidential Campaign History with longtime ABC correspondent and Harvard Institute of Politics Fellow Ann Compton.