Globalization, Growth, and Social Equity: American and European Perspectives
October 2, 2007, 9:00am – 10:45amTop advisors and current and former cabinet ministers from across Europe and the United States will join together for a morning symposium addressing how progressive politics must be responsive to the new social and economic risks associated with the Dynamism Economy. The symposium, in conjunction with the Policy Network, a premiere progressive think tank based in the United Kingdom, will address the trends of income inequality and polarization in the context of an era of increased global economic integration.
Generously sponsored by the Alfred Herrhausen Society
American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood
October 11, 2007, 5:30pm – 7:00pmHow does a child find her way in the United States as a hybrid Hispanic American? Join the Center for American Progress and acclaimed author Marie Arana to discuss American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood, a memoir of growing up between Peru and the United States. A finalist for the 2001 National Book Award and the PEN-Memoir Award, American Chica was chosen as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, the L.A. Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and numerous other newspapers as well as the American Library Association. It was the winner of the 2001 Books for a Better Life Award. The Spanish edition of American Chica was published in 2003.
Ms. Arana, current Book Editor of the Washington Post, is also the author of a collection of columns, The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work. Her novel Cellophane, a saga set in the Amazon rainforest of Peru, was published July, 2006, and was a finalist for the John Sargent Prize. It was named one of the best books of the year by the Chicago Tribune, the Miami Herald, the Washington Post, and Library Journal, as well as receiving positive reviews in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the New Yorker, and People magazine. The paperback version of Cellophane was published in 2007.
In this lively discussion, Arana will share insights into her writings, work and experiences growing up and living bicultural in the United States
Pursuing the Global Common Good
October 15, 2007, 9:30am – 11:00amWhen is war justified? Is the use of torture ever acceptable? Do we have a moral responsibility to intervene against atrocities thousands of miles away? These are some of the pressing issues addressed in a new book by policy experts and faith leaders, published by the Center for American Progress. Pursuing the Global Common Good argues that U.S. foreign policy must go beyond preconceived notions of national self-interest and security by including our ethical obligations to the global community. Whether arguing against unjust wars or for our responsibility to lead against global warming, these essays dispel the faulty view that our national interests conflict with our ethical obligations. To the contrary, they make a strong and persuasive case that we can do better by doing good because our nation's self-interest and its moral responsibilities are entwined.
Evaluating Higher Education Institutions: A Discussion on College Rankings
October 16, 2007, 12:00pm – 1:30pmDo parents and students have the information they need to make decisions about what college or university to choose? What criteria do we value in institutions of higher education and what information do we need to make choices about where to attend? Join us for a discussion of college and university rankings and the availability of public information on the performance of institutions of higher learning. The discussion will address questions about whether and how institutions of higher education should be ranked, what criteria are important, and whether the public has access to the information that we need to make informed decisions.
High quality education for all students has long been a priority of the Center for American Progress. This event is being co-sponsored by Campus Progress, the Center for American Progress' comprehensive effort to help young people make their voices heard and empower new generations of leaders. Launched in 2005, Campus Progress supports student programs in journalism, activism, and public education, and has held hundreds of events on a wide range of issues.
Racial Bias and Criminal Prosecution
October 17, 2007, 12:30pm – 2:00pmProsecutors are powerful actors in the criminal justice system. They have wide-ranging and virtually unreviewable discretion in deciding whether to charge someone with a crime and what that charge should be. The Jena Six and the Duke Lacrosse cases are well-known recent examples of cases in which claims of racial bias sit at the center of public debate. What role, if any, does race play as a factor of inherent bias in prosecutorial decision making? Are prosecutors influenced by factors such as race, celebrity status, or notoriety of the case when exercising their unfettered prosecutorial judgment? What responsibility should a prosecutor have to ensure that bias does not enter decision-making? Join the Center for American Progress, the Jamestown Project, and a panel of prominent prosecutors, defenders, and academics, as we examine race and bias in criminal prosecutions.
Strange Bed Fellows? Anti-immigration Organizations and Hate Groups
October 18, 2007, 9:30am – 10:30amAnti-immigrant groups have gotten a lot of attention for their cause lately, but what do we really know about these groups? The Center for American Progress welcomes experts who have researched the connections between leading anti-immigrant organizations, white nationalists, and racist hate groups. Recent studies by the Center for American Progress indicate that the mainstream press regularly quote national anti-immigration organizations without acknowledging these connections. What have the researchers found and how does this influence the public debate?
Green Collar Jobs: Building a Just and Sustainable Economy
October 22, 2007, 9:00am – 10:30amA new wave of green investment is sweeping our nation's cities, driven by policies from green building laws, to renewable energy standards, to the Mayor's climate pledges. Reorienting our antiquated urban and energy infrastructure around the platforms of efficiency, sustainability and reduced greenhouse gas emissions represents perhaps the preeminent engine for innovation, job creation, and economic productivity growth in coming decades. While federal policy remains in a stalemate, America's cities are taking the lead in promoting a cleaner and more secure energy future - seizing the enormous opportunity afforded by the exploding "green" economic sector to rebuild communities, regional economies, and people's lives.
With billions of dollars poised to flow into cities in the form of green investment, a movement is growing to ensure that the new green economy builds local businesses and creates good jobs for those who need them most. The question people are asking is: "who will get the green jobs of the future?" Around the country, cutting edge businesses, community activists, and forward-thinking elected officials are making good on the promise of green cities to expand economic opportunity and build career ladders into family-supporting green jobs with living wages.
This panel of national experts on "green collar jobs" and environmentally-oriented economic development comes at a critical moment for our city and our nation, as we grapple with how to leverage emerging policies on green building, clean energy, waterfront restoration, and climate change as an opportunity to reinvest in jobs, skills, and local businesses, even as we rebuild our neighborhoods and restore aging infrastructure. These experts will tell their concrete stories of how community groups, developers, and city governments are forging a better path forward into a green, equitable, and prosperous economy.
Darfur Now!
October 22, 2007, 7:00pm – 9:30pmOfficial Synopsis:
Six lives transformed by human tragedy.
Six people united by a belief that anything is possible.
Six individuals committed to ending the worst crisis of the 21st century.
Darfur Now is a story of hope in the midst of one of humanity's darkest hours - a call to action for people everywhere to end the catastrophe unfolding in Darfur, Sudan. In this documentary, the struggles and achievements of six different individuals from inside Darfur and around the world bring to light the tragedy in Sudan and show how the actions of one person can make a difference to millions. Written and directed by Ted Braun, the film explores the Darfur conflict through the first-hand experiences of Don Cheadle, Hejewa Adam, Pablo Recalde, Ahmed Mohammed Abakar, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, and Adam Sterling. Executive Produced by Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Omar Amanat, Matt Palmieri, Gary Greenebaum and Dean Schramm. Produced by Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle and Mark Jonathan Harris.
Please join us for a provocative panel discussion and Q&A session immediately following the film during which panelists will discuss the film and the on-going crisis in Darfur.
Paul Krugman and The Conscience of a Liberal
October 24, 2007, 6:30pm – 8:00pmPublishers Weekly called the The Conscience of a Liberal "a stimulating manifesto...Krugman's accessible, stylishly presented argument deftly combines economic data with social and political analysis; his account of the racial politics driving conservative successes is especially sharp. The result is a compelling historical defense of liberalism and a clarion call for Americans to retake control of their economic destiny."
With this major new volume, Paul Krugman, "the heir apparent to Galbraith" (Alan Blinder) and, today's most widely read economist, studies the past eighty years of American history, from the reforms that tamed the harsh inequality of the Gilded Age to the unraveling of that achievement and the reemergence of immense economic and political inequality since the 1970s. Seeking to understand both what happened to middle-class America and what it will take to achieve a "new New Deal," Krugman has created his finest book to date, a work that weaves together a nuanced account of three generations of history with sharp political, social, and economic analysis. This book, written with Krugman's trademark ability to explain complex issues simply, will transform the debate about American social policy in much the same way as did John Kenneth Galbraith's deeply influential book, The Affluent Society. Please join senior fellow Scott Lilly for a discussion with Paul Krugman about his new book, The Conscience of a Liberal.