Week 5: Organizing The Power of the Sister Vote!: The Political Impact of Women Voters, Women Movements and 2020 Presidential Candidates On American Politics

On January 21, 2017, the world witnessed one of the largest protest marches ever in modern history— all organized and led by women. In December 2017, the Republican Party received an unexpected, rare and historic defeat for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama. This defeat also resulted from the work, coordination and political strategy led by women. Again, in the 2018 midterms we witnessed the work and leadership of women with the election of a new Congress that has more women members than ever in American history. In 2020, there will be more women Presidential candidates than ever in America’s history. In this study session, we will explore what has propelled this increased representation of women within political leadership. What has been the catalyst to the modern women’s movement? Are we moving towards reflective democracy? How is this political moment different from previous feminist and suffrage movements? How does gender identity and the formation of new gender non-conforming frameworks impact the political discourse? Are women movements’ building more power and if so, for whom? As a Black womanist activist, I will share my own experiences and observations about the tensions in the various women led movements and share strategies and challenges for tapping into the unlimited potential of organizing women to build a stronger reflective democracy.

Guest: Tiffany Cross (Founder and Managing Editor, The Beat DC)

Location: Institute of Politics (L-166) 

Join a conversation on team leadership with Tommy Amaker, Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball. In the 12 seasons since taking over as head coach of Harvard’s men’s basketball program, Coach Amaker has reinvented the Crimson into an Ivy League power with a national presence, directing Harvard to a period of unprecedented prosperity. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Amaker has led the team to three NIT appearances (2011, 2018-2019), seven Ivy League championships (2011-15, 2018-19), four NCAA tournament appearances (2012-15) and six 20-win seasons (2010-15).

In conversation with Coach Amaker will be Center for Public Leadership Black Family Fellow Annie Odom, former U.S. Army Captain. Amaker and Odom will explore the common challenges of building and leadings winning teams, whether on the court or on the battlefield.

Coach Amaker is serving as a CPL Hauser Leader and IOP Director’s Visiting Leader at Harvard Kennedy School for the 2019-2020 academic year. He also serves as an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School. More about Coach Amaker can be found here.

This event is free and open to the public.

RSVP

This event is co-sponsored by the Institute of Politics and the Veterans Impact Initiative.

Congressman Joe Kennedy III (MA-04, D) will reflect on his career in public service, including his experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic and current tenure as representative of Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District.

NEW DATE

Undergraduate Pizza and Politics discussion with Larry Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor; Director, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government; and President Emeritus of Harvard University.

Due to high demand, this event will be lotteried. To enter the lottery, please click here.

Week 4: The Global Migrant Crisis: Can We Stop Migration?

As millions of people are forced from their homeland as a result of war, poverty, disaster, and much more, many countries are facing the necessity of caring for a large influx of people. As countries can greatly benefit from migration, it is also unquestionable that the pressure placed on governments is enormous. Can we stop migration or should we face it as a reality and do our best to handle it? We will briefly review the international compacts on migration, Panama ́s experience as a transit country, and Mexico ́s experience with migrants.

Guest: Luis Videgaray (Director, MIT AI Policy for the World Project and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Mexico)

Location: Institute of Politics (L-163) 

Week 4: Finding Common Ground in Congress

Senator Coons is the Junior Senator from Delaware, known for his willingness and ability to work across the aisle. Chris and I worked on a variety of issues over the years, from tech privacy to wildlife trafficking in Africa, and we served together on the Judiciary Committee during the Kavanaugh hearings. We will discuss the current state of Congress and ways that conservatives, moderates and progressives can agree on policy objectives.

Guest: Senator Chris Coons (Senator from Delaware, 2010 - present)

Location: Wexner 332, Harvard Kennedy School

A conversation on election 2020 and civic engagement among communities of color with Futuro Media Maria Hinojosa, Futuro Media Julio Ricardo Varela ‘90, IOP Fall 2019 Resident Fellow LaTosha Brown and Boston Globe's Renée Graham.

Week 4: The Power of Young Guns: How Much Will Millennials Matter in 2020?

As the 2020 campaign season kicks in to high gear, it's time for politicians to focus on civil discussion and engagement of millennials. There will be 103 million millennials in the United States in by 2020, 90 million of which will be eligible voters. Their vote is valuable. Alice Stewart invites John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics and Elizabeth Harrington, National Spokesperson at the Republican National Committee, to discuss the power of millennials.

Guests: John Della Volpe (Director of Polling, Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics) and Elizabeth Harrington (National Spokesperson, Republican National Committee)

Location: Institute of Politics (L-163)

Week 4: From Organized Minority to Political Majority: The Power of Building Multi-Racial, Multi-Issue, and Multicultural Coalitions

What are the core elements that have led to the shifts in the current political landscape? How has the media and movement politics impacted the political landscape? Has it created more political unity and/or has it led to more fractured groups within the two-party system? In this study session, we will explore and discuss the impact of the media on the current political climate. We will also explore the impact of organizing efforts outside of traditional party structures. What are the benefits and limitations of these models? We will examine the rise of organizing efforts on both the left and right and its impact of political discourse in America.

Location: Institute of Politics (L-166)

Ever wondered how some people get where they are? Like how IOP Spring 2018 Fellow Adam Conner founded the Facebook DC office and where he went from there? Join us on Monday, 10/7 at 7pm in L166 at the IOP -over dinner- to find out!

Please RSVP here:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdOP-FSRtYZUw_W2ptfRlsgQlmpyJ-VtBC8KJJz8oQNVwAqZg/viewform

Join us for the S.T. Lee Lecture featuring Chen Jian, a leading scholar in modern Chinese history, the history of Chinese-American relations, and Cold War international history.

In the next Pizza and Politics, HPU welcomes The Honorable Bill Walker, who will discuss his time campaigning and serving Alaska as it's eleventh Governor (2014-2018), his experience as an Independent, and his take on the current administration. Afterwards, he will be answering questions from the audience.

Moderator: Kiera O'Brien '20