Bob Graham Center for Public Service

Dr. Michael Jeffries, associate professor of American Studies at Wellesley College, spoke about his latest book, Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America. Dr. Jeffries approaches Obama's election and administration as common cultural ground for thinking about race. He uncovers contemporary stereotypes and anxieties by examining historically rooted conceptions of race and …

Dr. Fredrick Harris, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center on African American Politics and Society at Columbia University, spoke about his latest book,The Price of the Ticket: Barack Obama and the Rise and Fall of Black Politics. In the book, Harris puts Obama's career in the context of decades of black activism, showing …

The "school-to-prison pipeline" refers to policies and practices that push school children, especially at-risk children, out of classrooms and into the criminal justice system.  This pipeline reflects the prioritization of incarceration over education. On March 10 at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora, ABA President Paulette Brown explored how inadequate resources, ineffective discipline policies …

Celebrating 100 years of excellence in journalism and the arts, the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida hosted Paul Tash, chairman and CEO of the Times Publishing Company, on March 14 at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora as part of the Pulitzer Prize Centennial Celebration. The Tampa Bay Times is …

Special guest Rev. Gary Mason of Belfast, Ireland, spoke at the Bob Graham Center on Tuesday, March 29, at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora. Rev. Mason shared his experiences with leading the reconciliation process with those involved in sectarian conflict. A Methodist minister, Mason directs a conflict transformation organization based in Belfast called "Rethinking …

Dr. Benjamin Justice, an associate professor and historian of education at Rutgers University, presented his talk The Hidden Curriculum of Justice: How the American Criminal Justice System Educates, and Miseducates Citizenson Thursday, March 31, at 6 p.m. in Norman Hall's auditorium. For an increasing number of Americans, the criminal justice system plays a powerful and pervasive …

Julie Leibach is managing editor of online content for public radio's Science Friday. She edits and writes articles for ScienceFriday.com and oversees its website. Prior to her work at Science Friday, she worked as a senior editor and web manager at Audubonmagazine. Leibach spoke in the Pugh Hall Ocora on Tuesday, April 5, at 6 p.m. Her visit …

The University of Florida's Center for Global Islamic Studies hosted highly recognized social anthropologist Saba Mahmood on April 7 at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora. Mahmood is professor of anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley. Her work focuses on questions of secularism, religion, minority politics, and gender in the Middle East. She is …

David Shinn, a former United States ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, spoke on Wednesday, April 13, at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora. Shinn focused on the growing relationship between China and Africa and its implications in an increasingly global society.  He currently teaches international affairs at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. The event was free …

This one-day, all-day event highlighted the advances Florida and the nation have made in administering elections since the 2000 election. Planned participants include co-chairs of the President’s Commission on Election Administration; U.S. Election Assistance Commission commissioners; election administrators from Florida and other states (including current Secretaries of State); prominent scholars at the University of Florida and other institutions; campaign consultants; and members …