Past Events

Boston's **[LivableStreets Alliance](http://www.livablestreets.info/ "")** envisions a world where streets are safe, vibrant public spaces that connect people to the places where they live, work and play. Here is their annual "StreetTalk 10-in-1", where 10 innovative transportation and community thinkers take the stage and share their big ideas for transit improvement in lightning rounds.

Race Matters contains West's most powerful essays on issues relevant to black Americans: despair, black conservatism, black-Jewish relations, myths about black sexuality, the crisis in leadership in the black community, and the legacy of Malcolm X. For the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Race Matters, Cornel West reminds us why race still matters and considers the way these issues are crucial to building a genuine multiracial democracy. (Image: Book Cover)

JCC Greater Boston convened a panel composed of a former prosecutor, criminal justice professor, civil rights attorney, sentencing reform activist, and a wrongfully convicted individual to explore racial inequities throughout the legal system. They discuss the criminal justice system's issues of racial bias, which have lead to a miscarriage of justice ranging from police violence and brutality to presumption of guilt and wrongful convictions. In the post-Ferguson era, it is critical for many people with many voices to examine the role that race plays in the criminal justice system from policing to prosecuting. (Image: Deval Kulshrestha/Lady Justice/CC BY-SA 4.0)

The United States leads the world in the rate of incarceration - the number of people in prisons in the US has more than quadrupled over the last forty years. Racial disparities are a hallmark of incarceration today, families are torn apart, and communities disrupted by the school to prison pipeline. The opportunities for education and true rehabilitation for those returning to their communities are few and far between. The Massachusetts legislature is creating reform for our state right at this moment. Hear from four Lenny Zakim Fund grantees who are working for that reform.

The pendulum of Latin American politics is swinging rightward once again. In the past, relations between the U.S. and various Latin American states have experienced cyclical ups and downs. Many states, however, appear to be moving toward more centrist forms of governments – with added opportunities for change in Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela – allowing the US to be able to foster improved relations with its neighbors to the south. With the ever growing change in Latin America, it is more important than ever for the U.S. to look beyond the neoliberal model of the 1990s, and develop an approach to relations fit for the 21st century. Come join us for a discussion on this topic with Inter-American Dialogue’s Michael Shifter. Mr. Shifter is the President of Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-D.C. based think tank, devoted to analyzing policies and enhancing communication within the Western Hemisphere. As a journalist, scholar, and professor, Mr. Shifter has spent his career teaching and advising on Latin American politics and policy. He is currently an adjunct professor of Latin American politics at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, in addition to serving as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. (Image: [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/en/brazil-south-america-america-globe-1766926/ "Pixabay"))

Author, organizer, and police misconduct attorney Andrea J. Ritchie sits with Georgetown law professor Paul Butler to discuss her book, _Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color._ Ritchie details the racial profiling, police brutality, and immigration enforcement violence experienced by women of color. Through the personal stories of Sandra Bland, Rekia Boyd, Dajerria Becton, Monica Jones, and Mya Hall, Ritchie looks at the twin epidemics of police violence and mass incarceration, documents the evolution of movements centering women’s experiences of policing and demands a radical rethinking of how we view safety. Paul Butler is the author of _Chokehold: Policing Black Men._ Photo by[ The All-Nite Images/Flickr.](https://www.flickr.com/photos/7278633@N04/ "")

Since 1991, Boston has experienced 21 events that triggered federal or state disaster declarations. In 2011, Hurricane Irene caused downed trees and power outages across the city. In 2012, while Boston was spared the most devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy, the city still experienced high winds and coastal flooding. As the climate changes, the likelihood of coastal and riverine flooding—as well as other hazards like stormwater flooding and extreme heat will increase. The challenges from climate change are substantial and complex but can be addressed through bold and creative actions that support the city’s vitality and livability. Boston can thrive in the coming decades if it takes action to adapt its people, its neighborhoods, and its economic and cultural assets, starting now. Austin Blackmon, then Boston's Chief of Environment, Energy And Open Space, explains that change is difficult, contentious, and complex, but if done well, the work can create a resilient, climate-ready Boston and dramatically improve the city and quality of life for all its residents.

Astrobiologist Sukrit Ranjan discusses the potential importance of UV radiation as a trigger for the emergence of life, and whether red dwarf stars might provide the necessary UV spark to generate life on optimal exoplanets.

A new Steven Spielberg film titled _The Post,_ called an "Ode to Journalism" by _The New Yorker_, takes us back to the the 1971 battle between the Press and the U.S. government over the leaked Pentagon Papers that outline America's involvement in the Viet Nam conflict. In anticipation of the film, news editors who saw the real drama as it unfolded met recently at Northeastern University to discuss that time in history, how they advised on Spielberg's take, and the legal implications for today's journalists in the ongoing struggle between the media and President Trump. (Photo: Matt Storin)

At a time when confidence in institutions and governments is at an all-time low, there has been a surge in the growth of shared economy companies like Airbnb, Uber and Zipcar. Rachel Botsman writes about and researches how technology is transforming trust and what this means for life, work and business. In her new book, "[Who Can You Trust?](https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/304270/who-can-you-trust/ "book title")", Botsman investigates these new trends and notes a huge shift in trust away from institutions towards individuals, in areas as diverse as dating to banking, from politics to child rearing. Photo:[ sakyphoto (Own work)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carpooling.jpg "") [CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons