Isabel Wilkerson at The Richmond Forum by The Richmond Forum

NOVEMBER 18, 2023

Isabel Wilkerson THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA’S GREAT MIGRATION

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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WELCOME TO THE 2023 - 2024 SEASON! We are excited to be back with a celebrated lineup for The Richmond Forum! This year, we hope that you will be informed, entertained, and challenged. Your devoted support has sold out the theater, but don’t forget that online subscriptions are still available for the season. The Altria Theater is a Richmond gem and we are delighted to be here. We know that there is a special magic to attending The Forum live and in person, and we want as many people as possible to experience that magic for themselves. Many of you tell us that a full and vibrant theater makes The Forum even more meaningful for you. To ensure that we fill every seat, we have developed our Ticket Marketplace to support theater upgrades for all subscribers. If you are unable to attend a program or give your tickets to someone who can, please donate them back to The Forum. You’ll receive a tax-deductible donation receipt at the end of the calendar year. Please remember that if your tickets go unscanned or undonated more than 20% of the time, we reserve the right not to renew your subscription. Donated tickets are made available in the Ticket Marketplace for other subscribers who would like to upgrade their seats. If you’d like to be in the theater or move closer to the stage, check the Portal beginning 7:00 AM the Monday before each program. Our goal for this system is to utilize all seats in the theater and give access to the theater experience to our Simulcast and online subscribers. Earlier this fall, we launched a stunning new website with greater functionality, including a searchable catalog of all our past programs. The Forum will review transcripts and boxes of photos so that over time, we can continue to add content to these new pages and document our collective history. We’d also like your help! That’s why we built in a feature where you can share your stories and help us recount the impact of past Forum programs. Please visit our website to take a look and share your memories with us.

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TONIGHT’S PROGRAM Isabel Wilkerson THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA’S GREAT MIGRATION NOVEMBER 18, 2023

OPENING MUSIC & NATIONAL ANTHEM Mojo Parker Express OPENING REMARKS Heather Mullins Crislip Executive Director The Richmond Forum WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION PRESENTATION

Regina J. Elbert Senior Vice President —Human Resources Dominion Energy Isabel Wilkerson

Fifteen-minute intermission for collection of audience questions via Slido AUDIENCE QUESTIONS Isabel Wilkerson with Shakia Gullette Warren Executive Director, Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia

Tonight’s presentation may not be recorded or photographed by any means for any purpose. The Richmond Forum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization.

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employees for volunteering more than 95,000 hours of their time. From refurbishing homeless shelters to replenishing local food banks to cleaning up parks to helping soldiers and their families, we’re donating the most precious resource of all: our energy. Learn more by visiting DominionEnergy.com/Foundation.

ISABEL WILKERSON TONIGHT’S SPEAKER

ISABEL WILKERSON, WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND THE 2015 NATIONAL HUMANITIES MEDAL, is the author of The New York Times bestsellers “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration” and “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” She has become an impassioned voice for demonstrating how history can help us understand ourselves, our country, and our current era of upheaval. Wilkerson spent 15 years working on “The Warmth of Other Suns,” interviewing more than 1,500 people to tell what she calls one of the greatest underreported stories of the 20th century. The National Book Critics Circle Award-winning work, released in 2010, made national news when President Barack Obama chose it for his 2011 summer reading list. The New York Times Magazine named “The Warmth of Other Suns” to its list of the best nonfiction books of all time, and TIME magazine named it one of the “10 Best Non-Fiction Books” of the 2010s.

“

THE GREAT MIGRATION WAS THE FINAL BREAK FROM AN ABUSIVE UNION WITH THE SOUTH. IT WAS A STEP IN FREEING NOT JUST THE PEOPLE WHO FLED, BUT THE COUNTRY WHOSE MOUNTAINS THEY CROSSED.

In August 2020, Wilkerson published her latest book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” to widespread critical acclaim. The New York Times named it a 2020 must-read book and labeled it “an instant American classic,” while Oprah Winfrey selected it for her monthly book club. “Caste” examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America’s history and people, and reveals how a hierarchy of social divisions defines our lives to this day. Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for her work as Chicago bureau chief of The New York Times. She is the first Black woman in the history of American journalism to win a Pulitzer and the first African American to win for individual reporting. Wilkerson has lectured on narrative nonfiction at the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University and has taught at Princeton, Emory, and Boston universities.

Making a difference. We proudly support The Richmond Forum and this evening’s speaker, Isabel Wilkerson, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning stories shed a light on migration and its impact on American society, culture, and politics. troutman.com Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP

SHAKIA GULLETTE WARREN TONIGHT’S MODERATOR

SHAKIA GULLETTE WARREN’S JOURNEY to the role of Executive Director at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia is more than just a career path — it’s an intense calling deeply ingrained in her DNA. Originally from White Plains, New York, Shakia commenced her new role on May 1, 2023. She brings with her a wealth of experience and a profound sense of purpose. Her grandfather, the Reverend Ralph W. Gullette, played a pivotal role in shaping her passion for African American history. He established a school within his New York church to educate young people about their African American heritage, emphasizing the significance of knowing one’s roots. Shakia has over a decade of experience in the field and has earned recognition as one of the “25 African American Leaders Under 40” by the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Young Leaders. She also holds the distinction of being handpicked as an original cohort member of the Association of African American Museums and the Howard University School of Business Advanced Executive Training Program. Although her initial aspiration was to become an OB-GYN during her undergraduate years at Fisk University, a life-changing African American history course taught by a dedicated professor redirected her path. It was through this experience that she discovered her true passion and embarked on a career dedicated to preserving and promoting African American history. As the new Executive Director of the BHMVA, Shakia Warren envisions a future where she builds upon the museum’s remarkable legacy while expanding its reach and impact. Her commitment to enhancing programming and showcasing the museum’s valuable collection ensures that the legacy of African American history — an integral part of American heritage — continues to inspire and educate future generations.

HAVE A QUESTION FOR ISABEL WILKERSON? HEAD TO SLIDO.COM TO SUBMIT A QUESTION FOR THE Q&A. You can also endorse questions submitted by fellow audience members, both in the theater and online, to increase the chance of them being asked. We love it when you include your name and location!

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MOJO PARKER EXPRESS TONIGHT’S MUSICIAN

MOJO PARKER welcomes you to join him on his musical odyssey. His voice is recognized from the Blue Ridge Mountains down to the Gulf Coast, and back into the heart and soul of Memphis, Tennessee. As a two-time semi-finalist, as well as a 2020 finalist of the International Blues Challenge, Mojo is garnering recognition for his raw, intimate, and passionate performance style. His soulful sound embraces a fresh new take on old-time classics. The music will transport you to a time when songs told the real-life tales of the traveling troubadours of the Blues. Mojo’s talents don’t rest in solo acoustic blues and folk music alone. He recently created the Mojo Parker Express, an eclectic sound with a groovy concoction of funk, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, and Latin flavors. Joining Mojo tonight are: Grady Clark (lead/slide guitar); Matt Gildner (electric and upright bass); Caleb Dance (saxophone and flute); and Manny Rey (drums). Mojo rounds out the band with guitar, keys, and vocals.

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COMMITMENT Kaufman & Canoles is committed to strengthening our community. As part of that commitment, we are proud to support The Richmond Forum and the diverse guests they invite to inspire and inform our community. We CAN. And we will.

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WHERE VIRGINIANS WENT

THE GREAT MIGRATION’S IMPACT ON THE COMMONWEALTH FROM 1915 TO 1970, nearly six million Black Americans fled the South for northern and western cities in search of a better life. More than 200,000 Virginians participated in this mass migration, forever altering our state, our culture, and ourselves. Black Virginians accounted for more than 40% of the state’s population during the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era (1863 - 1877). Afterward, that proportion steadily fell. The sharpest decline occurred between 1920 and 1930 at the start of the Great Migration, and has consistently remained at one in five since 1970.

The Great Migration

Most Black Virginians who left the state during this period traveled up the East Coast and settled in cities like Philadelphia, New York, and Pittsburgh. Some traveled farther to states like Ohio, Michigan, and California.

800 100 400

300 400

200

45,200

100 4,800

700

8,700

500

200

700

5,600

400 100

4,900

71,300

400

1,200

10,500

6,100 36,300

300

100

300

Data from U.S. Census Bureau

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WHY RICHMONDERS STAYED

OUR CITY’S COUNTERNARRATIVE TO THE GREAT MIGRATION WHILE VIRGINIANS LEFT RURAL AREAS ENMASSE throughout the 20th century, Richmond’s Black population grew. At the start of the Great Migration, Black Richmonders made up around one-third of the city’s population. At the movement’s end, the city was majority Black. So, what made Richmond resistant to this national phenomenon? In the 1920s and 1930s, the large and predominately Black neighborhood of Jackson Ward was a thriving center for African American creativity, community, and commerce, earning itself its reputation as “The Harlem of the South” and “Black Wall Street.” With nearly 300 Black-owned businesses and a vibrant art scene, the neighborhood had a self-sustaining economy. Black artists and entrepreneurs from across the state and beyond came to Richmond to take part in this cultural renaissance. Beyond Jackson Ward, the city as a whole had a robust economy at the time. The presence of the tobacco industry, including a new cigarette manufacturing plant for Philip Morris & Co., helped the city quickly bounce back from the Great Depression. General manufacturing was on the rise in the region and by the end of World War II, more than 350 million pounds of military supplies were being shipped through Richmond. Rural Black Virginians began migrating to Richmond for its ample job opportunities. Some who had earlier relocated to the north later returned to their home state’s capital. However, from the late 1940s into the 1950s, Black neighborhoods became the target of a citywide “urban renewal” plan. The plan would chip away at these long-standing communities through the power of eminent domain — forever changing Richmond. Construction of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike, which was incorporated into Interstate 95 soon after completion, demolished blocks of historic homes and severed Jackson Ward. Residents fought city council to preserve as much of their neighborhood as possible, and protected Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church from demolition, which diverted the highway’s original intended path. Churches that were not spared from demolition were rebuilt in other corners of the city, which led to the creation of new Black neighborhoods. The new interstate fueled suburban growth in Henrico and Chesterfield counties. White residents moved out of the city in droves to communities that welcomed them, and displaced Black residents moved into the vacated neighborhoods. Between 1950 and 1960, Church Hill’s makeup changed from 75% white to 95% Black. The exodus of white residents led to a decline in Richmond’s overall population, but the Black population continued to grow and became the city’s majority by the late 1970s. The economic and political ramifications of the midcentury “urban renewal” plan persist to this day. Richmond remains one of the 60 most segregated metropolitan areas in the nation but is one of only eight of those areas that have become less segregated in the past two decades. Residents and community activists, like those before them, continue to advocate to protect and restore Richmond’s historic neighborhoods. In May 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the city of Richmond a $1.3 million planning grant for building a cap over Interstate 95 that will reconnect Jackson Ward.

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OUR EPIC STORIES

A RICHMONDER’S JOURNEY FROM THE SOUTH & BACK AGAIN IN HER 2010 BESTSELLER, “THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS,” Isabel Wilkerson tells the epic story of America’s Great Migration through the lives of three unique individuals: Ida Mae Gladney, George Starling, and Robert Foster. These three people grew up in different states at different times, yet for their own reasons, all left their homes in pursuit of a new and better life. Wilkerson interviewed more than a thousand people for her research but the direct inspiration for “Warmth” came from much closer to home. Her parents, Alexander and Rubye Wilkerson, both migrated from the South to Washington, D.C. at the end of World War II — her mother from Rome, Georgia, and her father from Petersburg, Virginia — and met at Howard University. A Hampton University graduate, Alexander Wilkerson served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as part of the Tuskegee Airmen. “These were among the finest pilots our country has ever produced,” Isabel said in a 2023 interview. “Yet, when the war ended … no one would hire them as pilots, so they had to go out and remake themselves.” Isabel Wilkerson’s father, a Petersburg native, Wilkerson’s father earned a second degree at Howard served as a Tuskegee Airman in World War II. and remade himself as a civil engineer. “I am the daughter of the builder of bridges,” she said. “I take that on as my legacy in everything that I do to connect otherwise disparate things, and to show that which we have in common that we might not otherwise be seeing.”

The Wilkerson family’s story has remarkable ties to that of another Richmond community bridge builder, Dr. Betty Neal Crutcher. TUSKEGEE, ALABAMA, 1949 Dr. Betty Neal Crutcher was born to Mr. Homer Lewis Neal and Mrs. Rosea Carpenter Neal on November 21, 1949, with Tuskegee, Alabama in her blood. Her father, a native Tuskegeen, and her mother, also born in Alabama, both studied and worked at the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University). The historically Black land-grant university was and continues to be the life force of the small town, which had fewer than 7,000 residents at the time of Dr. Crutcher’s birth. To Dr. Crutcher, growing up in Tuskegee felt exceptional. It was the home of the nationally renowned Tuskegee Airmen, the research laboratory of George Washington Carver, and the birthplace of Rosa Parks. “The Institute and the town seemed to flow together like one seamless entity in my mind,” Crutcher said. “Offering us a special sense of belonging and encouraging us to always hold high standards and expectations for ourselves. So much seemed possible as a child and young adult.”

Although some of her relatives had migrated north to Connecticut and New York for higher wages and better job opportunities, the Neal family loved their hometown and Dr. Crutcher had no aspirations to leave. Instead, she enrolled in the Institute to study sociology and planned to stay — until she was offered to participate in a student exchange at the predominately white University of Michigan for the last semester of her senior year. “My family and friends saw it as a temporary onesemester trip,” she recalled. “None of us expected that it would be the start of a long life outside of my hometown, Tuskegee, that I really loved.”

Dr. Crutcher in the late 1960s. Taken by renowned photographer Chester Higgins Jr. when both were students in Tuskegee.

Leaving behind her close-knit community and beloved home, Dr. Crutcher boarded a plane for the first time and traveled north to snowy Ann Arbor, Michigan. Touching down at Detroit Metro Airport, she looked out to see what she described as the shock of her young life: a foot of snow. “As a young Black woman from the South, my mind and body were traumatized with fear.” Navigating new experiences in the North felt like living on another planet. From the way she talked and dressed to the values she possessed, Dr. Crutcher felt alienated in her new home. “I asked myself the question, how could I trust and understand people who didn’t serve collard greens and cornbread at dinner?” As the winter snow started to melt, she found classmates, staff, and professors who helped build bridges to an unknown world. These new friends and mentors – including Mr. Karl Klee and Dr. Roslyn McClendon – may not have shared her Southern roots or her racial background, but they gave her the assurance she needed to stand on her own in her new surroundings. “A few of these folks became important cross-cultural mentors to me,” Crutcher said. “Their wisdom and guidance found a home in my head and in my heart many times. My new white mentors helped me navigate through different cultural situations, which allowed me to grow personally and professionally. My Black mentors equally stretched me to reach new heights.” One early bridge builder was Mr. Clyde Briggs, a Black educator who encouraged Dr. Crutcher to stick around in Michigan and pursue a master’s degree in public health. His words, “Betty, I see more in you than you see in yourself,” pushed her to excel and would later become part of her own professional toolkit. Dr. Betty Neal Crutcher with her husband Dr. Ronald A. Crutcher and their daughter, Sara Crutcher Moore.

“My experiences in Michigan led to my seeing the value in cross-cultural mentoring,” Crutcher recalled. Continued >>

“I had a desire to offer to others the new knowledge and sense of belonging that had been offered to me.” The treasured friendships and guidance she received in her early days in Ann Arbor were the catalysts for a decades-long academic and professional career in cross-cultural mentorship. She later earned her doctorate from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a thesis that examined the experiences of mentors who have successfully counseled individuals across cultural divides. The foundation of her mentoring work is the “three Vs”: sharing values that show our commonalities, sharing virtues that propel us forward, and holding a vision like Mr. Briggs had done for her. If Dr. Crutcher could share one piece of advice to her college-aged self, leaving the warmth of the South for the cold of the North for the first time, it would be to always carry her home with her. “My family and friends continue to watch over me,” she said. “They continue to help guide me along the way. Every experience creates that greater sense of belonging, giving me an innate sense of belonging wherever I am. But, Tuskegee and its gifts will always be my home.” Through mutual friends in Michigan, Betty met Dr. Ronald A. Crutcher, who would go on to become her husband and the father to their daughter, Sara Crutcher Moore. He later became the first Black president of both Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and the University of Richmond. Dr. Betty Neal Crutcher currently serves as Mentor-in-Residence for the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies and on The Richmond Forum’s Board of Directors.

The Epic Story of

America’s Great Migration Isabel Wilkerson

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OUR PARTNER SCHOOLS FOR THE 2023 - 2024 SPEECH & DEBATE SEASON: INDEPENDENT/REGIONAL

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JUDGES NEEDED! Help our speech & debate community prepare for state and national competitions by signing up to judge at one of our upcoming local tournaments: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 Petersburg High School, Petersburg SATURDAY, JANUARY 13 Cosby High School, Midlothian THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 Richmond School for the Arts, Richmond SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 Virginia High School League Speech Regionals Cosby High School, Midlothian FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 National Qualifiers Student Congress James River High School, Midlothian SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 National Qualifiers Speech & Debate Events James River High School, Midlothian

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RICHMOND FORUM SPEAKERS 1987

January Ted Koppel February Hodding Carter and Larry Speakes with Paul Duke March General Brent Scowcroft with Diane Sawyer April Charles Kuralt

1988

January Oprah Winfrey February Jeane Kirkpatrick and Vladimir Pozner with Marvin Kalb March George Will April Art Buchwald

1989

January Sam Donaldson February Henry Kissinger with John Chancellor March William Buckley and Charles Rangel April Dr. Carl Sagan

1990

January Paul Duke, Howard Fineman and Charles McDowell February Frank Carlucci, George McGovern, William Proxmire and William Rusher with Bettina Gregory March Mike Wallace April Alistair Cooke

1990–1991

October Chancellor Helmut Schmidt January Admiral William Crowe, General Alexander Haig and Robert McFarlane with Edwin Newman February H. Ross Perot March Art Buchwald and Andy Rooney April Captain James Lovell and Dr. Frank Drake with James Burke

1991–1992

October Barbara Walters January PM Margaret Thatcher February General H. Norman Schwarzkopf with Larry King March Dr. Marc Micozzi and Dr. Victor McKusick with Patricia Cornwell April Mark Russell

1992–1993

October Terry Anderson January Hiroki Kato and T. Boone Pickens February Dr. Joyce Brothers March Dr. Bill Cosby April President Mikhail Gorbachev with Cokie Roberts

1993–1994

November Senator Warren Rudman, Lamar Alexander and Dr. Marvin Cetron with Chris Wallace January Frank Capiello and Michael Holland with Louis Rukeyser February President George H. W. Bush March Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross April Bob Newhart

1994–1995

November General Colin Powell January Walter Cronkite February Dave Barry March Tom Clancy April Jack Kemp and George Mitchell

1995–1996

November PM Brian Mulroney and Ambassador Carla Hills January Neil Armstrong, Eugene Cernan and Dick Rutan with David Hartman February Calvin Trillin March Charles Kuralt April David Gergen, Pierre Salinger, Sheila Tate and Bob Woodward with Ed Bradley

1996–1997

November Carl Reiner with Dick Cavett January Paul Volcker with Ray Brady February Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough March Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with Sir David Frost April Marcia Clark, Philip K. Howard, Dr. Rodney Smolla and Kym Worthy with Prof. Arthur Miller

1997–1998

November Bill Moyers January Wynton Marsalis February PM Shimon Peres March Mary Tyler Moore April Peter Lynch

1998–1999

November PM John Major January Robert Bennett and Dr. William Bennett with Tim Russert February Harry S. Dent, Jr. and Lou Dobbs March Lily Tomlin April Dr. Robert Ballard and Jean-Michel Cousteau

1999–2000

November Julie Andrews January Todd Brewster and Peter Jennings February John Krubski and Michael Connors with Ray Brady March Archbishop Desmond Tutu April James Carville and Newt Gingrich with Tim Russert

2000–2001

November Senator John Glenn January Tom Brokaw February PM Benjamin Netanyahu March Frank McCourt April Dr. William Kelso

2001–2002

November Hal Holbrook January Rabbi Marc Gellman and Msgr. Thomas Hartman February Dick Clark March Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough April Madeleine Albright and James Baker with Gwen Ifill

2002–2003

November Ken Burns January Rudolph Giuliani February PM Benazir Bhutto and Queen Noor with Gwen Ifill March Louis Freeh April Senator Fred Thompson

2003–2004

November Cal Ripken, Jr. January Robert Shiller and Jeremy Siegel February Candice Bergen March President Mary Robinson April Thomas L. Friedman

2004–2005

November General Tommy Franks January Michael Beschloss and Walter Isaacson February Tim Russert March Dr. Fareed Zakaria April Frank Gehry

2005–2006

November Robert Redford with Pat Mitchell January Sherry Lansing February General Colin Powell (Ret.) March Tom Wolfe April Rick Wagoner

2006–2007

November Burt Rutan January Malcolm Gladwell and Alvin Toffler February B.B. King March Jim Lehrer April Dr. Jared Diamond

2007–2008

November President Vicente Fox January Carly Fiorina February Michael Douglas March Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. April David Brooks

2008–2009

November PM Tony Blair January Reza Aslan and Jon Meacham February Smokey Robinson with Daphne Maxwell Reid March Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long April Marion Nestle and Michael Pollan

2009–2010

November Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson January Greg Mortenson March Steve Forbes April Condoleezza Rice May David Plouffe

2010–2011

November President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf January Laura Bush February Anderson Cooper March Dr. George Church April David Blaine

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2015–2016

November Michael Sandel January Alan Alda February James Balog March PM Julia Gillard April Russell Wilson and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

2016–2017

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2017–2018

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2020–2021

2011–2012

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2012–2013

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2022

2022– 2023

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Admissible: Shreds of Evidence

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DR. CORNEL WEST & THOMAS CHATTERTON WILLIAMS AT THE RICHMOND FORUM APRIL 29, 2023 TWO OF THE MOST ORIGINAL AND IMPORTANT AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL MINDS OF OUR TIME – Dr. Cornel West and Thomas Chatterton Williams – do not agree on everything but are both committed to the absolute condemnation of no one. In a conversation moderated by Virginia State University’s president, Dr. Makola M. Abdullah, Dr. West and Mr. Williams came together at The Richmond Forum on April 29, 2023, to explore pervasive topics in today’s social discourse. The discussion centered around cultivating a redemptive society and building tolerant and open cultural spaces within institutions, while being less captive to fleeting outbursts over transgressions. “A redemptive society has to allow us to see each other as whole people,” Williams opened the discussion. He asserted that people are encountering one another today as fragmented selves. “I see what you do on social media and I only see an aspect of you. I see what type of ethnic or identity group you belong to and I reduce you to that thing. I’m not seeing the whole person.” Dr. West believes that in order to achieve a truly redemptive society, a deeper issue needs to be addressed. He called for a “moral renaissance in which integrity and honesty, decency, and courage become appealing to people.” “Cancel culture is predicated on pervasive distrust,” Dr. West added. “If I do not believe that you respect me, I must police you, and I don’t even trust that what you say [is] what you mean.”

The conversation traveled through personal anecdotes as well as broader ideas. This included Dr. West’s counter-protest at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017, Williams’ publishing of the “Harper’s Letter” in 2020, academic freedom and intellectual diversity, and the possibility of a post-racial future. Throughout, the two men demonstrated a deep respect for one another’s point of view and a willingness to engage with differing perspectives.

THE DISCUSSION AMONG AND BETWEEN OTHER AUDIENCE MEMBERS DURING THE INTERMISSION WAS SOMETHING I HAD NOT WITNESSED IN THIS WAY BEFORE. THEY PROVOKED CONVERSATION AND DISCUSSION AMONG FRIENDS AND STRANGERS. - Forum Subscriber Despite the amount of work that Dr. West and Mr. Williams agree needs to take place — both individually and institutionally — in order for American culture to transcend polarization, there is hope to be found. For Dr. West, it is in the “folk who love and laugh and think for themselves critically, free in their spirit.” It is the people who are the personification and manifestation of hope. For Williams, it is in his time at The Forum. “Seeing a packed auditorium like this with so many people here to talk about how to have a redemptive society — the absolute condemnation of no one — today gives me an extraordinary amount of hope.”

7 1) Thomas Chatterton Williams on stage with Dr. Cornel West. 2) Teresa Downs of Altria, the evening’s Lead Patron, introduced the speakers. 3) Guests of YouDecide, the Host Patron for the evening. 4) The speakers visited the Student Room to talk with local high school and college students. 5) The conversation on the stage sparked discourse among audience members. 6) Dr. Makola Abdullah, President of Virginia State University, moderated the conversation and asked questions from the audience. 7) Rodney Stith provided musical entertainment. 8) Dr. West and Mr. Williams paid a lively visit to the Simulcast Room during intermission.

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UP NEXT AT THE FORUM JANUARY 13, 2024

JOEL SARTORE BOARDING THE PHOTO ARK

National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore is the founder of The Photo Ark, a multi-year documentary project aimed at saving animal species from extinction and protecting their habitats from destruction. The Photo Ark has documented more than 14,000 species to date. With his hallmark sense of humor, Sartore will share notable endeavors from his portfolio of stunning photographs to showcase the incredible diversity of life on our planet, while inspiring us to take action to protect it. In his words, “It is folly to think that we can destroy one species and ecosystem after another and not affect humanity. When we save species, we’re actually saving ourselves.” (Format: Speech with Q&A)

FEBRUARY 17, 2024

MARCH 16, 2024

APRIL 20, 2024

LIZ CHENEY

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI

Principles Over Politics

For the Greater Good

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