UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College is set to host speaker Eddie Glaude Jr., who will present "Race and Democracy: America is Always Changing, but America Never Changes” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the State Theatre in downtown State College.
Glaude’s lecture is a part of Schreyer’s Dilemmas of Democracy series, which examines the obstacles facing modern democracy and will include a question-and-answer session moderated by Jenna Spinelle from the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, which is co-sponsoring the lecture.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Tickets can be claimed online through the State Theatre website. Glaude will hold a book signing following the lecture.
Glaude, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University, is a prominent author, political commentator and educator known for his work regarding the complex dynamics of the African American experience.
Glaude's writings, including “Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul,” “In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America,” and The New York Times bestseller “Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own,” take a wide look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States, and the challenges we face as a democracy.
Glaude was the chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University from 2009 to 2023. He also serves on the Morehouse College board of trustees. He frequently appears in the media, as a columnist for TIME Magazine, and as an MSNBC contributor on programs like “Morning Joe” and “Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace.”
Glaude’s most recent book, “We are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For,” which will be available to purchase, is based on Glaude’s series of thought-provoking lectures at Harvard University in 2011 about W.E.B Du Bois and the resilience of grassroots activism.
The “Dilemmas of Democracy” event was made possible by the generous donation from Penn State alums Art and Betty Glenn. Art graduated with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering in 1956, and Betty graduated with a bachelor of science degree in home economics in 1957. Art was honored as an Outstanding Engineering Alumnus in 1990, an Alumni Fellow in 1996, and a Distinguished Alumni in 2005.
The Glenns have remained engaged with the University and the Schreyer Honors College for decades, possessing a passion for providing students with the opportunities to participate in these vital conversations about the future of global politics.
For more information regarding the “Dilemmas of Democracy” program and to learn more about the speakers involved, visit the Schreyer Honors College website.