Democracy: The Role Our Institutions Play

Description

Join the SNF Agora Institute and Hopkins at Home for a conversation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels about the role institutions play in supporting and strengthening democracy. This event is presented as part of the Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival.

Speaker Pelosi and President Daniels will be discussing how we can bridge the gap between institutions and the citizens they represent, how we can galvanize people—especially young people—to become civically engaged, and the value of student voices in shaping the national discourse.

Speakers:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the 52nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the first women ever to serve in that role, has been committed to protecting and expanding voting rights, including passing the For the People Act—which aimed to expand access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, and strengthen ethics rules for public servants—and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to strengthen and restore parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that have been struck down by the Supreme Court.

Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels is author of the 2021 book, What Universities Owe Democracy, which argues that―at this moment when democracy is under great strain around the world―it is critical for today's colleges and universities to reestablish their place in democracy.