Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 Time: 7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. EDT
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This year, millennials and Gen Z are the largest voting bloc in the United States, comprising 38 percent of eligible voters. The youth vote could decide the outcome of the 2020 election, but young people across the country face unique barriers to accessing the ballot. Panelists will discuss how young activists, communities, and organizations are leading the fight to protect the youth vote and advance youth voting rights in New York and beyond.

This event is co-produced by NYU Votes; Brennan Center for Justice; GenVote; NYU Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation; Center for Black Visual Culture & Institute of African American Affairs; New York University's John Brademas Center; The 370J Project; Federal Hall: Debate Defends Democracy; Every Vote Counts.

Speakers: Yael Bromberg, Chief Counsel for Voting Rights, Andrew Goodman Foundation; Brianna Cea, CEO and Cofounder, Generation Vote; Harold Ekeh, Cofounder and Executive Board Member, Every Vote Counts; Sean Morales-Doyle, Deputy Director, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice; Nausheen Ansari Husain, Director of Special Projects, Campus Election Engagement Project; MODERATOR: Robi Lopez-Irizarry, Team Leader, GenVote@NYU and Committee Member, NYU Votes

(Part of the Public Theater’s Creative Activism: A Day of Art, Ideas, and Action)

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2020 Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT
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The 2020 election will be hard-fought and divisive. With six weeks until Election Day, we’re already seeing manufactured crises that are undercutting trust in the accuracy of our election, inflaming partisan tensions, and destabilizing our democracy. As part of the Public Theater’s Creative Activism: A Day of Art, Ideas, and Action, join Brennan Center experts as they outline the lies, misconceptions, and false arguments that voters will have to contend with.

Speakers: Myrna Pérez, Director, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice; Sean Morales-Doyle, Deputy Director, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice; Liz Howard, Senior Counsel, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice; MODERATOR: Angélique Roché, Journalist

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2020 Time: 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. EDT
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Experts warn that the Covid-19 pandemic will create barriers to voting for millions of Americans this November. But the public health crisis is hardly the only cause of this: intensified voter suppression efforts have been enacted over the past decade, creating impediments to the polls that often target communities of color. Moreover, the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder weakened the protections of the Voting Rights Act, paving the way for states to purge voter rolls and establish discriminatory voter ID laws.

In this virtual conversation, Emory University professor Dr. Carol Anderson and Brennan Center senior fellow Dr. Theodore Johnson will discuss how communities, activists, and organizations are leading the fight to protect the vote — and what’s at stake for American democracy. Political strategist and commentator Karen Finney will moderate.

This event is produced in partnership with New York University's John Brademas Center and NYU Votes.

Speakers: Dr. Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies, Emory University; Author, One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy; Dr. Theodore Johnson, Senior Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice; MODERATOR: Karen Finney, Political Strategist, Activist, Commentator

Date: Friday, September 25, 2020 Time: 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. EDT
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What comes next for criminal justice reform — and how we can capitalize on this historical moment to truly grapple with our 400-year history of racial injustice? After a spring and summer of renewed racial reckoning, amid a public health crisis that is most acutely impacting Black and Latino people, and before a critical national election, a distinguished panel will discuss how to best translate research into action.

Join us for a wide-ranging discussion about the expanding body of research that underscores the need to dramatically reduce the number of people trapped in our correctional system.

This event is produced in partnership with New York University's John Brademas Center and NYU Votes.

Speakers: Rashad Robinson, President, Color Of Change; Bruce Western, Bryce Professor of Sociology and Social Justice; Codirector, the Justice Lab at Columbia University; Author, Punishment and Inequality in America; Topeka K. Sam, Founder and Executive Director, The Ladies of Hope Ministries; Lauren-Brooke Eisen, Director, Justice Program, Brennan Center for Justice; KEYNOTE: Laura Arnold, Cofounder, Arnold Ventures; MODERATOR: Susan Chira, Editor in Chief, The Marshall Project

Date: Thursday, October 1, 2020 & October 8, 2020
Time: 12:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m. EDT
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Long before the novel coronavirus, our democracy was already sick. Covid-19 has been a “stress test” for our democracy, exacerbating structural racism and inequality in our political system and shining a light on weaknesses and vulnerabilities in our institutions. This two-day virtual symposium will tackle critical questions about how to preserve democracy and protect the 2020 election in a time of emergency, as well as how to achieve a fair distribution of political power in the long term. Day 1 (October 1) will focus on challenges to exercising the right to vote and potential solutions, and Day 2 (October 8) will focus on representation and political participation more broadly.

Opening Remarks: Stacey Abrams, Founder and Chair, Fair Fight Action; Political Leader; and Author, Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America.

This event is produced in partnership with the New York University Law Review, New York University's John Brademas Center, and NYU Votes. Each event day (October 1 and 8) has been approved for two New York State CLE credits in the Areas of Professional Practice category. The credit will be both transitional and non-transitional and is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.

Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2020 Time: 1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. EDT
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In recent months critics have frequently invoked the concept of the rule of law to denounce protests and other public displays of outrage at systemic injustice. Yet rule of law has always meant much more than the preservation of public order. In fact, police brutality and self-appointed vigilantism against Black Americans are offenses against the rule of law — to say nothing of grossly disproportionate and militarized responses to largely peaceful protests. The complicity of the White House and U.S. Department of Justice in these responses underscores the danger of eroding federal safeguards against abuse of power. Restoring xxxxxxs against such abuses will be one of the most urgent tasks for the next Congress and president.

This panel will discuss what’s at stake and what can be done to shore up protections for the rule of law in the federal government.

Speakers: Preet Bharara, Co-chair, National Task Force on Rule of Law and Democracy; Co-host, CAFE Insider; Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF); Christine Todd Whitman, President, Whitman Strategies Group; Donald B. Verrilli Jr., Member, National Task Force on Rule of Law and Democracy; Former Solicitor General

We hope to see you there!