JFK Library Forums

Heather Cox Richardson, Boston College professor of history, discusses her new book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America with Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic.

Robert Costa, chief election and campaign correspondent for CBS News, discusses key issues in advance of the 2024 elections with David Gergen, senior political analyst at CNN and a White House adviser to four presidents.  

Matthew Delmont, Dartmouth professor of history, discusses his recent book Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad, which explores the crucial contributions of the more than one million Black men and women who served in World War II, serving in segregated units and performing unheralded but vital support jobs, only to be denied housing and educational opportunities on their return home. Renée Graham, associate editor and columnist at The Boston Globe, moderates.

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of President Kennedy's June 1963 speech on civil rights, this special panel discussion explores civil rights issues in the 1960s and today. Mark Whitaker, CBS Sunday Morning contributor and author of “Saying it Loud: 1966 - The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement” moderates a conversation with Jonathan Eig, author of the new biography “King: A Life”; Judge Nancy Gertner (ret.), senior lecturer on law at Harvard Law School; David Greenberg, professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University; and Traci Parker, professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

In a nationally televised address in June 1963, President Kennedy addressed the most urgent domestic issue of the time: the struggle to guarantee civil rights for all Americans. In his speech, President Kennedy implored a nation divided by race, to rise to the challenge of that moment, to create a society in which all its citizens were afforded equal opportunity under the law. We acknowledge that the civil rights movement represented a challenge of President Kennedy's leadership, but with this speech, he sought to lay the foundation for the protection of civil rights for generations to come. On June 9, 2023, the JFK Library Foundation convened a special commemoration of this important moment in the historical timeline of social justice in America, featuring keynote remarks from 82nd U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. Following the keynote, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Rahsaan Hall, President and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts discussed civil rights through the intersection of the law and activism. Their conversation was moderated by Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Senior Opinion Writer for the Boston Globe.  

John Avlon, author, columnist, and senior political analyst and anchor at CNN, discusses his new book “Lincoln and the Fight for Peace,” which explores Lincoln's plan to secure a just and lasting peace after the Civil War, with Kellie Carter Jackson, professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College.

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff delivers opening remarks for a special Kennedy Library Forum that will include a distinguished panel exploring the role of the arts and culture and interfaith cooperation in combating hate. Maria Rosario Jackson, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts; Rashad Hussain, US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom; Simran Jeet Singh, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute's Religion and Society Program; Eric Ward, Executive Vice President at Race Forward, and Douglass Williams, Chef/Owner at Boston's MIDA Restaurant, discuss key issues with Sophia Bush, actress and activist. Tatiana Schlossberg, President Kennedy's granddaughter and climate journalist and author, introduces the program.

Colette Hemingway honors 2023 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel finalists and winner Oscar Hokeah, author of “Calling for a Blanket Dance,” at this celebration. Award-winning author Jennifer Haigh delivers the keynote address. The Kennedy Library is the major repository of Ernest Hemingway's personal papers. This program is co-presented with The International Hemingway Foundation and Society.  

Alex Prud'homme discusses his new book, “Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House,” a narrative history of food, politics, and twenty-six presidents from President Washington to President Biden, including President Kennedy. Sheryl Julian, writer, stylist, and former food editor of The Boston Globe, moderates.

Ellen Fitzpatrick, Presidential Chair and Professor of History at the University of New Hampshire; Doug Mills, White House photographer for The New York Times, and Darlene Superville, White House Correspondent for the Associated Press, explore key issues in covering the Presidency with Tamara Keith, NPR White House Correspondent and president of the White House Correspondents' Association. 

Micheál Martin T.D., Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence of Ireland, marks the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's visit to Ireland and discusses the Irish-US relationship and key global issues with Kevin Cullen, columnist for The Boston Globe.   This program is supported in part through the Government of Ireland: Emigrant Support Programme.      

  Philip Alpers, founding director of GunPolicy.org at the University of Sydney School of Public Health; Jennifer Carlson, professor of sociology and government and public policy at the University of Arizona; Mugambi Jouet, professor of law at the University of Southern California; and Diego Sanjurjo, political scientist and coordinator of focused police crime prevention strategies at Uruguay's Ministry of the Interior, explore comparative and international perspectives on firearms policy and gun control with Kristin Goss, professor of political science at Duke University. This was a virtual Kennedy Library Forum.

Timothy Christian, professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, discusses his new book "Hemingway's Widow: The Life and Legacy of Mary Welsh Hemingway" with Jenny Emery Davidson, executive director of The Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho. This was a virtual Kennedy Library Forum.

Douglas Brinkley discusses his forthcoming book "Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, and the Great Environmental Awakening," which explores the rise of environmental activism, with Michael Eric Dyson, award-winning author and professor of African American and diaspora studies and of ethics and society at Vanderbilt University.   The program is made possible in part through the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The Kennedy Library and GBH partnered for an exclusive preview* and discussion of the new PBS American Experience documentary "Taken Hostage," which tells the story of the Iran hostage crisis, when more than 52 American diplomats, Marines and civilians were held hostage at the American Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. Former hostage and press attaché to the U.S. Embassy Barry Rosen, his wife Barbara, and director Robert Stone discussed the film and explored this history with American Experience executive producer Cameo George. *Note: This JFK Library Forum podcast episode includes only the discussion portion of the event. To watch the documentary, visit https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/taken-hostage/.

John A. Farrell, award-winning author and former Boston Globe correspondent, discusses his forthcoming book Ted Kennedy: A Life with David Nasaw, professor of history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

This special conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis will explore the Crisis and the lessons it still holds for us. Sessions will examine the historical context of the Crisis, as well as how lessons from the Crisis resonate with contemporary challenges.  Curator for special projects at the International Spy Museum Alexis Albion, intelligence and national security reporter at The Washington Post Shane Harris, New York University professor of public service and of history Tim Naftali, and staff writer at The Atlantic Tom Nichols analyze the role of intelligence in the Crisis and in the present day in the conference's second session.  

This special conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis will explore the crisis and the lessons it still holds for us. Sessions will examine the historical context of the crisis, as well as how lessons from the crisis resonate with contemporary challenges.  Activist and author Daniel Ellsberg (virtual), Harvard professor of business administration Nancy Koehn (virtual), New York University professor of public service and of history Tim Naftali, Johns Hopkins professor of historical studies Mary Sarotte (virtual), and University of Virginia professor of history Philip Zelikow (virtual) discuss the history of the crisis and crisis leadership in the conference's first session.  

Senator Patrick Leahy, president pro tempore of the Senate and the chamber's current longest-serving member, discusses his new book "The Road Taken: A Memoir," which explores more than four decades of service spanning nine presidential administrations, with former Senator Christopher J. Dodd.  

Jonathan Capehart, associate editor for The Washington Post and anchor of MSNBC's The Sunday Show, and Ali Vitali, Capitol Hill correspondent for NBC News and author of Electable: Why America Hasn't Put A Woman in the White House…Yet, explore key issues in advance of the midterm elections with Lisa Desjardins, correspondent for PBS NewsHour.

Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation and presidential historian for ABC News, discusses his new book "Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency" with Martin Dobrow, professor of communications at Springfield College.

Jeff Nussbaum, political speechwriter, discusses his new book "Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches That Would Have Rewritten History," kennedy, library, history, politics, government, jfk, forum which explores the context of undelivered speeches by notable figures including Presidents Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Nixon; John Lewis, Hillary Clinton, and Condoleeza Rice. Mark Arsenault, reporter at The Boston Globe, moderates. 

Simon Coveney TD, Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense, discusses Ireland's foreign policy, the Irish-US relationship and key global issues with Dr. Robert Mauro, director of the Irish Institute and founding director of the Global Leadership Institute at Boston College. This program is supported in part through the Government of Ireland: Emigrant Support Programme.

Seán Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's grandson, honors 2022 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel finalists and winner Torrey Peters, author of Detransition, Baby, at this celebration. Award-winning author and environmentalist Terry Tempest Williams delivers the keynote address.  The Kennedy Library is the major repository of Ernest Hemingway's personal papers. This program is co-presented with The International Hemingway Foundation and Society.   

Will Hurd, former Congressman, cybersecurity executive, and CIA officer, discusses his forthcoming book “American Reboot: An Idealist's Guide to Getting Big Things Done” with Archon Fung, professor of citizenship and self-government at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University professor of history and international relations and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, and Tom Nichols, US Naval War College professor of National Security Affairs and contributing writer at The Atlantic, explore latest developments in the crisis in Ukraine with Alexandra Vacroux, executive director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.

Kate Clifford Larson, visiting scholar at the Brandeis Women's Studies Research Center, discusses her new book "Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer" which draws on new interviews and fresh archival material to explore Hamer's life and impact on the civil rights movement. Karsonya (Kaye) Wise Whitehead, professor of communication and African and African American studies at Loyola University Maryland, moderates. Kennedy Library education and public programs on civil rights and social justice are supported in part by AT&T.

  Baylor Fox-Kemper, professor of earth, environmental, and planetary sciences at Brown University; Courtney Humphries, journalist and author; Paul Kirshen, professor of climate adaptation at the University of Massachusetts Boston; Sanjay Seth, climate resilience program manager for the City of Boston; and the Rev. Vernon K. Walker, senior program manager at Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), explore sea level rise and its implications for coastal areas, including cities like Boston, with Barbara Moran, correspondent on WBUR's environmental team.

Neal Thompson, journalist and author, discusses his forthcoming book "The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty," which draws on previously unreleased records to explore the lives of Bridget and Patrick Kennedy, with Christine Kinealy, professor of history and director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University. This program is supported in part through the Government of Ireland: Emigrant Support Programme.

The Kennedy Library and GBH partner for an exclusive preview and discussion of the new PBS American Experience documentary The American Diplomat. Ambassador (Ret.) Aurelia Brazeal, Director Leola Calzolai-Stewart and Duke professor of history Adriane Lentz-Smith discuss the film and explore the experience of African American diplomats serving during the Cold War with American Experience executive producer Cameo George. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative to the United Nations, and Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, introduce the program.

Congressman Ro Khanna discusses his forthcoming book "Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us," which explores how the digital economy can create opportunities for people across the country, with Arlie Russell Hochschild, professor emerita of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dayna Cunningham, Dean of Tufts' Tisch College of Civic Life, and Edward Glaeser, Harvard professor of economics and co-author of the forthcoming book "Survival of the City: Living and Thriving in an Age of Isolation" explore key issues affecting the future of cities with columnist and former Boston Globe editorial page editor Renée Loth.

Mara Hvistendahl, investigative reporter and author of "The Scientist and the Spy: A True Story of China, the FBI, and Industrial Espionage"; Dana Priest, The Washington Post investigative reporter and chair of public affairs journalism at the University of Maryland; and Tim Weiner, author of "The Folly and the Glory: America, Russia, and Political Warfare 1945-2000," examine key issues in intelligence and espionage with Tim Naftali, NYU professor of history and public service and CNN presidential historian.

Michael Dobbs, author and former longtime reporter for The Washington Post, discusses his new book "King Richard: Nixon and Watergate - An American Tragedy" with award-winning author and journalist Evan Thomas.  

Tom Nichols, US Naval War College professor of National Security Affairs, columnist for USA Today, and contributing writer at The Atlantic, discusses his new book "Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from Within on Modern Democracy" with Heather Cox Richardson, Boston College professor of history. 

Kendra Davenport Cotton, chief operating officer at the New Georgia Project; Robert Griffin, senior research advisor and research director for the Voter Study Group at Democracy Fund; Taeku Lee, University of California, Berkeley professor of political science and of law; Gabriel R. Sanchez, University of New Mexico professor of political science and a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution; and Tova Wang, Democracy Visiting Fellow at Harvard's Ash Center for Democratic Governance, explore recent demographic trends and their significance for future elections with award-winning journalist and author Larry Tye.

José Andrés, chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, and David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, discuss current actions and responses to hunger and malnutrition with Laura Reiley, reporter for The Washington Post covering the business of food. The Kennedy Library's education and public programs related to civil rights and social justice are sponsored in part by AT&T.

Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy and distinguished professor and chair at Texas Tech University, discusses her book "Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World" with Reyhaneh Maktoufi, host, co-producer, and illustrator of PBS/NOVA's "Sciencing Out," Rita Allen Foundation Civic Science Fellow in Misinformation, and science communication researcher. This program was supported in part by the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation.

Patricia Sullivan, professor of history at the University of South Carolina, discusses her new book "Justice Rising: Robert Kennedy's America in Black and White," which draws on government files, personal papers, and oral interviews to examine Robert F. Kennedy's life and legacy. Kenneth Mack, professor of law and history at Harvard University, moderates. Kennedy Library education and public programs on civil rights and social justice are supported in part by AT&T.

Julia Sweig, award-winning author and nonresident senior research fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin, discusses her new book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight, which draws on the largely unknown and overlooked audio diaries that Mrs. Johnson kept during her years in the White House. Ellen Fitzpatrick, professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, moderates.  

Peter Coleman, Columbia professor of psychology and education and author of the forthcoming "The Way Out: How To Overcome Toxic Polarization"; Archon Fung, professor of citizenship and self-government at the Harvard Kennedy School; the Reverend Irene Monroe, theologian, syndicated columnist, and co-host of GBH's "All Rev'd Up" podcast; Amanda Ripley, author of the forthcoming "High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out"; and Deb Roy, MIT professor of media arts and sciences and director of the MIT Center for Constructive Communication, explore productive discussions across conflicts and divides with Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service.

Karen Tumulty, political columnist for The Washington Post, discusses her forthcoming book, "The Triumph of Nancy Reagan," which draws on archives, letters, memoirs, White House records, and four years of interviews with people close to the Reagans to reveal new details of the multifaceted character of the First Lady. Eileen McNamara, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Boston Globe columnist and Brandeis professor of the practice of journalism, moderates.

Reginald Dwayne Betts, poet, memoirist and teacher; Tracie Keesee, co-founder, Center for Policing Equity; Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Harvard professor of history, race, and public policy; and Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, discuss current issues in police and justice reform with Errin Haines, Editor-at-Large, The 19th*. Kennedy Library education and public programs on civil rights and social justice are supported in part by AT&T.

Theresa Cardinal Brown, Bipartisan Policy Center director of immigration and cross-border policy; Roberto Gonzales, Harvard professor of education and director of the Immigration Initiative at Harvard; Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, UMass Boston Chancellor; Daniel Tichenor, University of Oregon chair of social science and Program for Democratic Governance director; and Jia Lynn Yang, The New York Times national editor and author of "One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965," explore the history of and contemporary issues in US immigration policy with Julia Preston, contributing writer to The Marshall Project. 

Anthea Butler, professor of religious studies and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania; EJ Dionne, The Washington Post columnist and visiting professor at the Harvard Divinity School; Patrick Lacroix, author of John F. Kennedy and the Politics of Faith; Emmett Price, professor of worship, church, and culture at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; and Simran Jeet Singh, Religion News Service columnist and Spirited podcast host, examine the intersection of religion and politics with Margery Eagan, co-host of GBH’s Boston Public Radio.   For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.

Panelists including Lisa Lerer, reporter at The New York Times, and Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and CNN Political Analyst, discuss opportunities and challenges for the incoming administration, as well as reflect on the significance of the Biden-Harris victory in the 2020 elections. NBC News correspondent Harry Smith moderates. Explore more at jfklibrary.org/forums.

Award-winning musician and Emerson College artist-in-residence Toshi Reagon and the Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, founding pastor of the New Roots AME Church and fellow with the Green Justice Coalition, discuss how the belief systems that define and maintain our societies impact the planet and influence our survival with Porsha Olayiwola, the City of Boston's Poet Laureate. Co-presented in conjunction with the city wide read of Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower and in association with Parable Path Boston, ArtsEmerson, New Roots AME Church and the Boston Public Library. For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.

Panelists including Dan Balz, chief correspondent at The Washington Post; Jonathan Capehart, opinion columnist at The Washington Post; Maria Hinojosa, president and founder of Futuro Media and anchor and executive producer of Latino USA; and Alice Stewart, CNN commentator, NPR contributor, and Harvard Institute of Politics fellow, interpret the results of the 2020 elections. Award-winning author Evan Thomas moderates. Explore more at jfklibrary.org/forums.

In this culminating keynote session of the Kennedy Library's "Expanding Democracy" conference, Judge Nancy Gertner (ret.), senior lecturer on law at Harvard Law School, and former Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Margaret Marshall deepen the conversation about the judicial role in contemporary voting rights with Barbara Howard, former anchor of WGBH’s All Things Considered. The two-day conference commemorates the centennial of the 19th Amendment and explores contemporary and historic issues about this landmark legislation. For more info, visit jfklibrary.org/forums.

In commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this conference will explore the history of the suffrage movement and how efforts to broaden voting rights have evolved over time. Sessions will explore the origins and development of suffrage efforts as well as contemporary voting rights issues.  Join University of Virginia professor of politics Jennifer Lawless, University of Massachusetts Boston professor of political science Erin O’Brien, Harvard University professor of government and sociology Theda Skocpol, University of South Carolina professor emerita of history Marjorie Spruill, and Suffolk University professor of government and moderator Rachael Cobb as they explore contemporary issues related to the 19th Amendment.

In commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this conference will explore the history of the suffrage movement and how efforts to broaden voting rights have evolved over time. Sessions will explore the origins and development of suffrage efforts as well as contemporary voting rights issues.  Join UCLA professor emeritus of history Ellen DuBois, Johns Hopkins professor of history Martha S. Jones, University of Connecticut professor of history Manisha Sinha, author Brenda Wineapple, and Carnegie Mellon professor of history and moderator Lisa Tetrault as they explore the history and origins of the movement.