Past Events

This event was initially scheduled on April 4th and has been postponed due to inclement weather.

In the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, corporate America doubled down on its public intentions to be more inclusive and equitable. Yet despite the pledges it has been difficult to see which system changes have made a real difference. Then came the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action—and its potential implications for corporations and their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices. With DEI programs seemingly under attack and their efficacy in question, are businesses still willing to make the case for diversity—and what can we do to encourage them?

Malia C. Lazu is an award-winning, tenured strategist in diversity and inclusion and a lecturer in the Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management group at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She is former EVP and Regional President of Berkshire Bank and the creator of several accelerators designed to support minority-owned businesses in the Boston area, as well as the consultancy the Lazu Group. She's the author of From Intention to Impact: A Practical Guide to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (MIT Press, February 2024).

Malia Lazu will be in conversation with GBH Chief Inclusion and Equity Officer, Yemisi Oloruntola-Coates.

Her book will be available to purchase, thanks to Frugal Bookstore, with a 15% discount.

Over the last few decades, LGBTQ+ people have made tremendous political and social gains. But threats persist, and the fight for equity is still ongoing. People are standing up, and their stories of living their true lives loud and proud give us all hope. Hear amazing and true stories from some of these inspirational people.

At Stories from the Stage, produced by GBH WORLD, ordinary people share extraordinary experiences that you will not soon forget. You’ll hear stories of love and loss, amazing adventures, incredible surprises and unexpected triumphs. In each taping, we get up-close and personal with storytellers about what inspires them and the craft of storytelling. Join us!

Monumental Market, a peanut and tree nut-free woman-owed bakery in Jamaica Plain, will be onsite selling sweet and savory bites starting at just $2.50!
6:30pm Doors open to GBH's Atrium where food and drink are available for purchase
7:00pm Doors open to GBH's Calderwood Studio for seating

Note all onsite purchases will be credit card only.
Event registration is required. Seating is general admission. The maximum capacity of this event is 150.

By RSVPing for this event, you agree to receive timely news and updates on events, films, and special offers from GBH.

Thank you to our sponsor, UMass Amherst.
This event is also presented with support from Liberty Mutual Insurance.
Stellar Story Company identifies and coaches storytellers for Stories from the Stage.

Photo credit: Stories from the Stage

The Great Abolitionist is the first major biography of Charles Sumner in over 50 years. Employing his “vast knowledge of 19th-century Boston and its diffident attitude toward slavery and integration,” Stephen Puleo calls his book a “biographical history” that brings to life two decades when the nation’s very fate hung in the balance -- when slavery consumed Congressional debate, America careened toward civil war, and the country dealt with the war, the assassination of a President, and the monumental task of Reconstruction. Before, during, and after the war, Charles Sumner’s voice rang strongest, bravest, and most unwavering, often at the cost of great personal sacrifice. He moved America toward the twin goals of abolitionism and equal rights for emancipated people, which he fought for literally until the day he died. From the award-winning author-historian we’ll gain a deeper understanding of this remarkable abolitionist and the time in which he lived.

New England Legal Foundation is excited to present the SCOTUS Crystal Ball. Each year at this point in May, many of the cases before The Supreme Court have been decided. There are few that remain, and those that do often have the most intricacies. Join us for a discussion about the details of the remaining cases, the arguments given and what a decision on either side of the case may mean.

Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale, Professor Akhil Amar moderates the discussion between constitutional law scholars.

Suffolk University's Ford Hall Forum and Moakley Archive & Institute, The Boston Desegregation and Busing Initiative, and GBH Forum Network, continue a series of programs examining the lasting impacts of the l974 landmark decision to desegregate Boston’s Public Schools. This panel discusses upward mobility in Boston, exploring the city’s historic institutional roadblocks that have hindered progress for people of color fifty years after busing. It explores solutions to address these persistent issues such as enhancing educational opportunities, closing the wealth gap, increasing home ownership, and broadening access to job opportunities.

The panelists are Ron Bell, longtime community activist and founder of Dunk the Vote, and alumnus of Boston Latin School; Karilyn Crockett, Ph.D., assistant professor, Urban History, Public Policy & Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Tatiana M. F. Cruz, Ph.D., assistant professor and interdisciplinary program director of Africana Studies, Department of Critical Race, Gender and Cultural Studies, Simmons University. The program’s moderator is Kris Hooks, editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe’s newsroom team, Money, Power, Inequality: Closing the Racial Wealth Gap, which focuses on addressing the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston.

There is much interest today in the purpose of play. For humans, it is widely considered important for development, but for animals the role of play is less certain. In this fascinating description of the imaginative and varied play habits of many species of animals, David Toomey considers the purpose of this behavior, and he explains the major views on the subject.

The GBH BPL studio will host Outspoken Saturdays, a spoken word poetry event for emerging artists. Every first Saturday of the month, the series will be created in collaboration with spoken word artist Amanda Shea.

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

GBH’s Under the Radar is hosting an interview with Callie Crossley and playwright Lydia R. Diamond ( The Bluest Eye, Stick Fly) at the Boston Public Library. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at this grand slam new play centering the first woman in history to play professional baseball on a men’s team in the Negro Leagues. There will be an opportunity to ask Playwright and Director Diamond questions towards the end of the segment. All are welcome! Theatre, baseball, and history fans are especially encouraged to attend!

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

In celebration of International Jazz Day, GBH Music and JazzBoston present Cuban pianist, composer and arranger Zahili Gonzalez Zamora.

China’s economic rise and its current policies of increasing the role of the state in the economy have led some U.S. policymakers to seek to deny China access to U.S. technology and investment. This is seen as a necessary corrective to decades of predatory Chinese economic policies. Is this a wise strategy, and how effective can it be?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Wendy Cutler, Vice President and Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, Washington D.C. office.