Past Events

New York Streets, the West End, Villa Victoria, Tent City, Stop the Highway: “Progress” vs. Community Control in Boston’s Neighborhoods Many of the national trends, public and governmental policies, and institutional practices that have shaped Boston’s physical geographies have roots in structural racism – a network of factors that perpetuate racial inequality and result in intergenerational wealth gaps, and highly segregated neighborhoods. Restrictive community covenants, redlining, urban renewal, divestment, and the placement of highways and mass transit have influenced where Bostonians live, and largely determine access to Boston’s amenities. However, Bostonians are resilient – communities’ acts of network building, activism, and resistance to imposed development in favor of neighborhood control have also shaped the geography of the City in a significant way. Giordana Mecagni, Head of Special Collections and University Archivist at Northeastern University will illustrate the effect of community protest on Boston’s geography, as seen through examples collected by Boston’s many archival collections, including Northeastern University’s Archives and Special Collections.

Author Salman Rushdie discusses his latest novel,_ The Golden House_. Rushdie is joined in conversation by Homi K. Bhabha, Director of the [Mahindra Humanities Center](http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/ "website") at Harvard University. **About the Book** On the day of Barack Obama’s inauguration, an enigmatic billionaire from foreign shores takes up residence in the architectural jewel of “the Gardens,” a cloistered community in New York’s Greenwich Village. The neighborhood is a bubble within a bubble, and the residents are immediately intrigued by the eccentric newcomer and his family. [—Penguin Random House](http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/558138/the-golden-house-by-salman-rushdie/9780399592805/ "") Thumbnail Image: [Spencer Means/Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hunky_punk/23139048910 "")

What’s really happening behind closed doors on America’s college campuses? A new sexual revolution is sweeping the country, and college students are on the front lines. Women use fresh, savvy methods to fight entrenched sexism and sexual assault even as they celebrate their own sexuality as never before. Many "woke" male students are more sensitive to women’s concerns than previous generations ever were, while other men can still perpetuate misogyny. Meanwhile, the new Secretary of Education appointed by President Trump intends to eliminate college court hearings of rape. Amid all the contradictions, it’s no surprise that intense confusion shrouds the topic of consent on campus. Vanessa Grigoriadis dispels that confusion as no other writer could by talking candidly with dozens of students—among them, both accusers and accused—as well as administrators, parents, and researchers. Her unprecedented investigation presents a host of new truths. Photo: SchuminWeb in [Slutwalk FlickrRiver](http://www.flickriver.com/groups/1830007@N22/pool/random/ "")

[The Vietnam War](http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/home/ "The Vietnam War") is a ten-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick chronicling the history of the Vietnam War and encompassing a scope of viewpoints, experiences, and stories from U.S. Veterans to Vietnamese civilians. See a trailer and long clip from the series followed by a talk with the film directors and Vietnam Veteran, Roger Harris, about the making of the film.[Boston Public Radio's](https://news.wgbh.org/boston-public-radio "Boston Public Radio's") Jim Braude and Margery Eagan host the conversation, held in Boston's Hancock Hall.

**Collecting Dissent: Museum Collections on the History of Protest from the Revolutionary Era to the Present** The largest collection of prints and works on paper by Paul Revere is held at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts. Several of these prints helped fuel the American Revolution with their imagery of dissent. Much of the Revere collection was assembled in the early twentieth century by AAS librarian and president Clarence S. Brigham (1877-1963), whose Paul Revere’s Engravings (1954; 1969) remains the most significant book on the subject. Nan Wolverton, Director of Fellowships and Director of the Center for Historic American Visual Culture will look at the early collecting practices of Isaiah Thomas, patriot printer and friend of Revere, whose personal library of books, pamphlets, and newspapers became the foundation of the American Antiquarian Society’s archive when Thomas established it in 1812. Thomas’ efforts to collect a complete printed record of the past included cheap broadsides, many of which focus on Revolutionary Era dissent and will be considered alongside Revere’s works on paper.

Paul Yoon, Briggs-Copeland Lecturer at Harvard University and author of _Once the Shore_ and _Snow Hunters_ reads from his latest book, _The Mountain: Stories._ In _The Mountain_, Paul Yoon displays his subtle, ethereal, and strikingly observant style with six thematically linked stories, taking place across several continents and time periods and populated with characters who are connected by their traumatic pasts, newly vagrant lives, and quests for solace in their futures. Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv/[Wikimedia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_121-1429,_Drontheim-Fjord,_Schlachtschiff_%22Tirpitz%22.jpg "Ofot-Fjord, Schlachtschiff "Tirpitz"")

On August 21, 2017, millions of Americans will witness the first total solar eclipse to cross the continental United States in 99 years. As in all total solar eclipses, the Moon will block the Sun, revealing the Sun’s outer atmosphere in an incredible spectacle. Listen to a conversation with Sky and Telescope’s Janine Myszka as we learn what we’ll be able to see in the Boston area, why the total eclipse is happening now, and how to safely view the eclipse. Photo Credit: dalianjsw/[Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/en/users/dalianjsw-1827540/ "Eclipse")

For more than two decades, scientists Lucy Keith-Diagne Ph. D. and Tomas Diagne have been working to study manatees and turtles and advocate for their protection. During the last 11 years, Lucy has focused her research on the African manatee, which is one of the least understood marine mammals of the world and is often referred to as the “forgotten sirenian.” Lucy speaks about her efforts to determine the African manatee's population across West and Central Africa. She also has tried to better understand their diet, and she is aiming to lead the first assessments of manatee threats. She describes her search for solutions across the species’ range. Tomas Diagne researches threats to sea turtles in Senegal’s coastal waters, which are a migratory hub for five species of sea turtles. In recent years, Tomas has documented a troubling number of dead sea turtles washing up on Senegal’s beaches. Tomas shares how in addition to assessing this disturbing trend, he is trying to use the data to advocate for the reduction of sea turtle bycatch in Senegalese fisheries. He also speaks about his work with sea turtle geneticists to understand from which populations the stranded turtles are coming. Hear Lucy and Tomas share the challenges and successes they have experienced while working to study and protect these iconic and threatened species.

In June 2017, President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the [Paris Climate Accord](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Agreement ""), an accord that represents the commitment of almost all nations to address global warming. The U.S., which, under the Obama administration, was a major force in creating the 2015 Paris accord, is now almost alone among nations in rejecting this commitment. Professor Selin describes the long struggle to commit the international community to prepare for the worldwide climate crisis and he explains why tackling the crisis requires global action. Image: [Germanwatch](http://germanwatch.org/en ""), Countries most affected by extreme weather events (1992 - 2011)

Astrophysicist Mario Livio, the bestselling author of _The Golden Ratio, Is God a Mathematician?_, _Brilliant Blunders_, and _The Accelerating Universe_—for a discussion of his latest book, _Why?: What Makes Us Curious_. Livio discusses investigating perhaps the most human of all our characteristics—curiosity—and explores our desire to ask "why?" Photo Credit:[pixabay](https://pixabay.com/"")