Looking for Democracy in 08: A Roundtable on Race, Gender, and the Elections

Monday, February 25 
6:30PM-8:30PM
Chicago Cultural Center
 Garland Room, 5th floor
77 East Randolph Street
 Chicago

This program is free and open to the public. Reservations are required and can be made online, by e-mail, or by calling 312.422.5580.

Issues of race and gender are at the center of this historic race for the White House between potential Democratic presidential nominees Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. The desire for change and opportunity to make history by electing the first African American or female president is mobilizing voters to participate in the election process in greater numbers than weve seen in decades.

Join us for an engaging conversation with scholars, activists, and youth organizers who will explore the nuances of the race vs. gender debate and the politics of social change. The candidacies of Clinton and Obama have caused political commentators and the media to ask if racism or sexism is more prevalent today. But is this the right question to be asking? With all the talk of "change" coming from the presidential candidates, will this election actually bring about change? How can we move beyond rhetoric and dig deeper to seek peace, justice, and a better world?

Panelists include:

Mia Henry, Director, Chicago Freedom School

Miriam Martinez, Youth Innovation Fund Coordinator, Mikva Challenge

Barbara Ransby, Associate Professor of History and African-American Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, author of Ella Baker & the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision

James Thindwa, Executive Director, Chicago Jobs with Justice

Cassandra West, Director of Communications, Chicago Foundation for Women

This program is presented in partnership with the Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Foundation for Women, Crossroads Fund, Ella's Daughters, Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media, In These Times, and Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.