MSE Symposium returns to Shriver Hall to address 'Rebuilding Our Future'

The Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium—a student-run lecture series that began in 1967—brings a lineup of high-profile speakers to the Homewood campus each year, all speaking on a united theme.

After a 2020 season of virtual presentations, the free talks—and live audiences—returned to Shriver Hall in September under the title Rebuilding Our Future.

"Both 2020 and 2021 have been historic periods not just for the history of the United States but for the world," says programming co-chair Sebastian Hernandez about the series' chosen theme. "From a national reckoning on systemic racism to the hyperpolarization of political discourse and a global public health emergency that has upended international order, our symposium seeks to educate our generation, the future leaders of our society, on the injustices and inadequacies of the current state of our country and the broader world.

"With this year's theme," he says, "we sought to bring leaders in their respective fields who are already pushing for institutional change and encourage all of us to build back toward a more just and equal society."

Addressing the topic have been LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund; Yamiche Alcindor, PBS NewsHour White House correspondent and host of Washington Week; Ben Crump, civil rights attorney representing the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other victims of police brutality, as well as the residents of Flint, Michigan; and Marty Makary, Johns Hopkins professor of surgery, New York Times bestselling author, and a leading voice for transparency in health care.

Maysoon Zayid, an award-winning Palestinian American comedian and disability advocate, will wrap up the 2021 series on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Register here for the event, which takes place at 7 p.m. in Shriver Hall.