Public Policy Lecture Series
In 2008, MCLA announced the establishment of the Michael S. and Kitty Dukakis Public
Policy lecture series, making public policy forums an ongoing part of the College's
long-term speaker offerings, in complement to MCLA's major in political science and
public policy. The series is made possible through the generosity of the Ruth E.
Proud Charitable Trust.
dr. eddie glaude, jr.
New York Times Bestselling Author & Chair of Princeton's Department of African Studies

Thursday, November 17, 2022
Student and Faculty Question and Answer Session
4:15 P.M., Freel Library
Lecture, Free and Open to the Public
7 P.M., Church Street Center Auditorium
Race & Democracy: America is Always Changing, But America Never Changes
For More Information or Zoom Details Call 413.662.5224
Register for Zoom HERE
One of the nation’s most prominent scholars, Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. is an author, political
commentator, public intellectual and passionate educator who examines the complex
dynamics of the American experience. His 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 his most recent, the New York Times bestseller, Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own, takes a wide look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States
and the challenges we face as a democracy. In his writing and speaking, Glaude is
an American critic in the tradition of James Baldwin and Ralph Waldo Emerson, confronting
history and bringing our nation’s complexities, vulnerabilities and hope into full
view. Hope that is, in one of his favorite quotes from W.E.B. Du Bois, "not hopeless,
but a bit unhopeful."
Glaude is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the
Department of African American Studies at Princeton. He is also 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 Whitehouse with
Nicolle Wallace. He regularly appears on Meet the Press on Sundays. Glaude also hosts
Princeton’s AAS podcast, a conversation around the field of African American Studies
and the Black experience in the 21st century.
A highly accomplished and respected scholar of religion, Glaude is a former president
of the American Academy of Religion. His books on religion and philosophy include
An Uncommon Faith: A Pragmatic Approach to the Study of African American Religion,
African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction, and Exodus! Religion, Race and
Nation in Early 19th Century Black America, which was awarded the Modern Language Association’s William Sanders Scarborough
Book Prize.
Some like to describe Glaude as the quintessential Morehouse man, having left his
home in Moss Point, Mississippi at age 16 to begin studies at the HBCU and alma mater
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He holds a master’s degree in African American Studies
from Temple University and a Ph.D. in Religion from Princeton University.
Glaude is known both for his inspiring oratory and ability to convene conversations
that engage fellow citizens from all backgrounds — from young activists to corporate
audiences looking for a fresh perspective on DEI. In 2011, he delivered Harvard’s
DuBois lectures. His 2015 commencement remarks at Colgate University titled, "Turning
Our Backs," was recognized by the New York Times as one of the best commencement speeches
of the year.
Combining a scholar’s knowledge of history, a political commentator’s take on the
latest events, and an activist’s passion for social justice, Glaude challenges all
of us to examine our collective American conscience, "not to posit the greatness of
America, but to establish the ground upon which to imagine the country anew."