Society & Culture

Insightful and compelling lectures from leading figures in print and broadcast media

Barbara Lee

As the first African American woman elected to Congress, Barbara has consistently used her platform to champion policies that uplift marginalized communities and promote equity. She was recently elected Mayor of Oakland, California.

Michelle Saahene

Wellness, progress and justice activist focusing on healing within a system of institutional racism. Michelle creates spaces for dialogue on racial healing, growth and learning.

Betsy Gaines Quammen

Author of American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God, and Public Lands in the West. Environmental historian and writer with a background in international conservation work, land issues, science denialism, and anti-government agitation in the American West.

Mike Duncan

American political history podcaster and author. His award winning series, “The History of Rome,” remains a legendary landmark in the history of podcasting.

David Quammen

Internationally acclaimed science writer and National Book Award Finalist. Author of Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus. Three-time winner of the National Magazine Award (the Ellie) and author of more than 15 books.

Richard Rodriguez

An award–winning, thought provoking writer, hailed by The Washington Post as “one of the most eloquent and probing public intellectuals in America”.

Jessica Valenti

Called “one of the most successful and visible feminists of her generation” by the Washington Post and one of the “Top 100 Inspiring Women in the World,” Valenti is a NYT Best-selling author, columnist and ‘the best abortion journalist in the country’.

Charles C. Mann

Offering valuable insights into the most significant events, from the European discovery of the Americas to the rise of the digital age, Charles Mann transforms our views of history. His book, The Wizard And The Prophet, asks the question “Can Earth support 10 billion people?”

Shola Lynch

Award-winning filmmaker, scholar, and film curator of documentaries: Free Angela & All Political Prisoners and Chisolm ’72-Unbought and Unbossed. Her current project, Number One On the Call Sheet, has been called “… as impressive a rundown of talent in a non-fiction project as you’re likely to see this year...”

Daisy Hernández

Daisy’s work is at the intersection of culture, identity, social justice and media representation. Winner of the Pen Book Award for The Kissing Bug which turns a critical eye to a devastating infection, Chagas disease, affecting predominantly impoverished and marginalized communities.

Arsalan Iftikhar

Islamic Human Rights attorney, media commentator, and founder of TheMuslimGuy.com, Iftikhar is a voice in the battle against growing Islamophobia in America.

Andres Oppenheimer

Pulitzer Prize winning Latin American journalist, and international authority on the influence of Latin America in the global economy.

Ted Conover

Pulitzer Prize finalist, National Book Award winning author, narrative nonfiction journalist who explores off-beat social worlds and creates conversational dialogues that are engaging and relevant.

Michael Mann

An award-winning climate scientist and expert on climate change. His work has played a crucial role in shaping public discourse and climate change policy. He is part of the IPCC team that won the Nobel Peace Prize and has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society. Selected by Scientific American as one of the 50 leading visionaries in science and technology.