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Ford Hall Forum

The Ford Hall Forum is the nation's oldest continuously operating free public lecture series. Its mission is to foster an informed and effective citizenry and to promote freedom of speech through the public presentation of lectures, debates, and discussions. Forum events illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers. These speakers are presented in person, for free, and in settings, which facilitate frank and open debate.

http://www.fordhallforum.org/

Vaccinating the World: Will Diplomacy, Nationalism or Profit Motive Prevail?

Wed, Jul 21, 2021

How can nations gain influence, strengthen alliances and protect their own populations against a global threat? Here’s one way: provide support in the battle against the common enemy. With less than 10 percent of the globe vaccinated and surges in infections from the COVID-19 Delta variant on the rise, getting shots in arms everywhere should be a public health priority, a national security strategy and a moral imperative, especially for high income countries. Yet vaccine nationalism, underfunded international organizations, and arguments over intellectual property rights, rather than vaccine diplomacy and robust international coordination, have slowed progress. This week, Foreign Policy Magazine's Elise Labott moderates a panel discussion to help us understand the complex issues governing the global response to the pandemic to date, the prospects for getting it right in the future and how Covid-19 is shaping geopolitics in a changing world. RESOURCES Duke University's data visualizations on inequities in vaccine access: https://launchandscalefaster.org/covid-19/vaccinepurchases “The Folly of Hoarding Knowledge in the COVID-19 Age Let Vaccine Producers in Poor Countries Help End the Pandemic,” by Tahir Amin, Foreign Affairs, January 29, 2021 https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/2021-01-29/folly-hoarding-knowledge-covid-19-age "Covid-19 has exposed the limits of the pharmaceutical market model," by Tahir Amin and Rohit Malpani, STAT News May 19, 2020 https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/19/covid-19-exposed-limits-drug-development-model/ Oxfam’s call for A People’s Vaccine: https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/peoples-vaccine-fastest-way-to-end-the-covid-19-pandemic/ Op-Ed “Beyond ample supply, hurdles abound in the race to vaccinate the globe,” By MARK MCCLELLAN, KRISHNA UDAYAKUMAR, MICHAEL MERSON AND GARY EDSON The Hill, July 8, 2021 https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/562059-despite-ample-supply-hurdles-abound-in-the-race-to-vaccinate-the-globe

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From Outbreak to Pandemic: Year Two and Counting

Wed, Jul 14, 2021

Following the outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China, was a series of epic failures and missteps that led to a pandemic — and it’s still raging 18 months later. The global death toll for 2021 already exceeds all of 2020. How did we get here and what will be the lasting impacts of this public health crisis? POLITICO’s Renuka Rayasam will moderate a panel discussion assessing some of the most consequential failures, successes and impacts of the COVID19 crisis to date. Panelists are Dr. Helen W. Boucher, Interim Dean at Tufts University School of Medicine; Jonathan Haughton, Chair of Economics at Suffolk University; and Social Scientist Jan Vogler. Together the panel will help us understand how we moved from outbreak to uncontrolled pandemic, the impact of the pandemic geographically, economically and what pandemics of the past can teach us about how to anticipate what the new normal will be. _This talk is part of the series Politics in the Era of Global Pandemic 2.0, produced by Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University, the Political Science & Legal Studies department at Suffolk University, and the GBH Forum Network. For six weeks students, faculty and guest speakers examine the issues at play in year two of the COVID-19 pandemic._ ### Resources “Pandemics and Political Development: The Electoral Legacy of the Black Death in Germany” Daniel W. Gingerich and Jan P. Vogler: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0043887121000034 “Hot Vax Summer, meet Not Vax Summer” Politico Nightly 06/23/2021 https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2021/06/23/hot-vax-summer-meet-not-vax-summer-493347 Check out Dr. Boucher’s recent video on “[Antimicrobial Resistance, the Silent Pandemic](https://youtu.be/qUfXzjFDhSc)” See the New York Times Vaccine Rollout tracker: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html

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Assessing the Biden Agenda: What will the next 100 days bring?

Wed, Apr 28, 2021

The 100-day mark is an important yardstick for assessing a modern President’s performance. It has traditionally been the “honeymoon” period, providing a window of opportunity for new administrations to move campaign promises from rhetoric to reality. Although most Americans can’t seem to agree on much these days, we can probably agree that these are atypical times, and that makes Biden’s “honeymoon” a complex one. The Biden-Harris administration faces numerous historic challenges at home and abroad, all while attempting to move its agenda forward. Join Dr. Esther Choo, a health policy researcher; Joel Clement, Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Julie Kashen, director for women's economic justice at The Century Foundation; and Jonathan Gruber, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The panel discusses where the Biden administration has and has not made headway and what comes next. POLITICO White House correspondent Eugene Daniels moderates the discussion. ## Resources: Read Joel Clement’s “Biden Deletes Trump’s Climate Negligence with a Single Event,” [here](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-deletes-trumps-climate-negligence-with-a-single-event/ar-BB1g4bQZ ). Learn about the [American Rescue Plan](https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/fact-sheet-the-american-rescue-plan-will-deliver-immediate-economic-relief-to-families). Read Dr. Choo’s Suffolk Journal article on [Racism in Public Healthcare](https://thesuffolkjournal.com/33332/news/renowned-physician-speaks-on-racism-during-the-pandemic-within-healthcare/). Check out Julie Kasha’s commentary on “[Why Caregiving is key to Biden’s American Jobs and Families Plan](https://tcf.org/content/commentary/caregiving-key-bidens-american-jobs-families-plan/).” You can check out this Facts Sheet on the American Jobs Plan, [here](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/31/fact-sheet-the-american-jobs-plan/). Learn about the long-term financial impact of COVID-19 from in [the Pew Research Center's report](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/03/05/a-year-into-the-pandemic-long-term-financial-impact-weighs-heavily-on-many-americans/) .

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Fixing What’s Broken: Uncivil War and American Democracy

Thu, Apr 15, 2021

Fourteen days after a mob stormed the Capitol attempting to “stop the steal,” President Biden declared in his Inaugural Address that we must “end this Uncivil War” threatening our democracy. Hyperpolarization, partisan tribalism, the politics of outrage, incivility, refusal to compromise and truth decay have led to a state of division and politically motivated violence we’ve not seen since the Civil War. GBH News political reporter Mike Deehan moderates a discussion with U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, political scientist Lilliana Mason, and political strategist Ron Christie on what can be done to turn the temperature down, answer President Biden’s call for “unity” and focus on the urgent business of governing our nation. ## Resources Learn about partisan protest trends, [here](https://www.voterstudygroup.org/blog/has-american-partisanship-gone-too-far) . Look at [Executive Orders organized by date and administration](https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/executive-orders) . See George McGovern’s party reforms, [here](https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-McGovern) . Read about the [bipartisan danger of dehumanizing language](https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/pro-trump-capitol-riot-violence-underscores-bipartisan-danger-dehumanizing-language-ncna1254530) . Learn about the link between polarization and civic education in [Ron Christie’s article](https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2020/07/03/civics-courses-can-help-diffuse-our-nations-explosive-divisions/3281063001/ ) . Read Lilliana’s article, [“Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, & What It Means for Democracy.”](https://nathankalmoe.com/radical-american-partisanship/)

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Fixing what’s broken: America’s Place in the World

Wed, Mar 31, 2021

Even as President Biden moved swiftly to re-engage allies by rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, addressing the G-7 and Munich Security Conference and announcing plans to host a “Summit for Democracy,” his declaration that “America is back” has been met with cautious optimism at best and even outright skepticism. Our expert panel with Fiona Hill, Brookings Sr. Foreign Affairs fellow, Stephen Wertheim of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Enrique Perret, director of the US Mexico Foundation, and Lyric Thompson of the International Center for Research on Women examine the many challenges, crises and opportunities that the Biden Administration faces in determining America’s role in a rapidly changing world order. ## Resources Learn about [The Coalition for a Feminist Foreign Policy in the United States.](https://www.icrw.org/publications/toward-a-feminist-foreign-policy-in-the-united-states/) To check it out for yourself, here is a link to the [White House’s Gender Policy Council.](https://www.whitehouse.gov/gpc/) You can read Stephen’s article [criticizing Biden's "America is Back" rhetoric](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/opinion/biden-foreign-policy.html) and commitment to military dominance. You can find Dr. Hill’s first edition of [“Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin."](https://www.brookings.edu/book/mr-putin-new-and-expanded/) Learn more about [Dr. Hill’s biggest takeaways from her time in the White House.](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/29/what-fiona-hill-learned-in-the-white-house) You can read [Enrique Perrett's article about talent and competitiveness.](https://mexicotoday.com/2020/07/16/op-ed-by-enrique-perret-erhard-talent-and-competitiveness/) Here’s a breakdown of [what’s inside Biden’s new $2 trillion infrastructure proposal.](https://www.npr.org/2021/03/31/982908847/biden-set-to-unveil-expansive-2-trillion-infrastructure-plan)

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Bass Guitarist Stanley Sheldon on the Roots of Caribbean Music

Thu, Apr 8, 2021

Stanley Sheldon is an American bass guitar player best known for his work with Peter Frampton and notable as an early adopter of the fretless bass for rock music. Upon returning to school, Sheldon took an interest in the roots of Caribbean music. He devoted most of the '90s to Latin American Studies at the University of Kansas, earning a master's degree. Afro-Caribbean music and dance evolved not only in and around colonial sugar plantations but also in more remote mountainous regions of the islands of Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica, in maroon outposts of escaped slaves. Today, musicians in many large cities such as New York and Miami continue the musical tradition that stems from a slave/maroon past. Throughout colonial Caribbean America the Atlantic slave trade gave rise to flourishing societies made up of escaped slaves who had fled the harsh conditions endured in the sugar plantations. A strong correlation between regionally specific intensive sugar production and Afro-Caribbean art can be observed in all the major regions where the slaves were brought to work. Cimarron culture is regarded as a “culture of the drum,” bearing a striking resemblance to the aboriginal African rhythms but nonetheless uniquely Afro-American. Afro-Caribbean music is not only important as an integrating, democratic force, it also at times displays a voice’ challenging and defying hegemony. Photocredit: Flickr/ DJ from De Lagelanden (CC)

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Fixing what’s broken: The Pandemic Economy

Thu, Mar 18, 2021

As we inch closer to the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel and passage of “The American Rescue Plan,” President’s Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief package and first big legislative win, where does the economy stand? Which groups and sectors have been most affected by the Covid economy and what will be the impact of this newest Congressional measure? How long will “recovery” take, and what will a post-pandemic economy and the future of work look like? Join us as we dive deeper into these questions, the answers to which impact all of us but in very different ways. This event continues a new spring series, Examining the First 100 Days of the Biden Administration, focusing on the most important developments in the early days of the Biden Administration. Guest speakers over the semester examine the ability of the 46th President and his team to affect change in some of the most vital policy areas that impact all of us. _Presented by the Suffolk University Department of Political Science & Legal Studies, in collaboration with the Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University and hosted by GBH’s Forum Network._ ### Resources Read Eduardo’s “How the American Unemployment System Failed,” [here](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/business/economy/unemployment-insurance.html?searchResultPosition=2). Review Kathryn’s article, “[Unemployment Insurance and the Failure to Reform.](https://www.rand.org/blog/2021/01/unemployment-insurance-and-the-failure-to-reform.html)” More from Jed in his article, “[The Jobs the Pandemic May Devastate.](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/22/upshot/jobs-future-pandemic-.html)” Learn about how the pandemic economy could wipe out a generation of Black-owned businesses, [here](https://www.propublica.org/article/the-pandemics-existential-threat-to-black-owned-businesses).

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Beyond Borders with Photographer Amira Al-Sharif

Thu, Apr 1, 2021

In her nearly two-decade-long career as a photojournalist, Yemeni photographer Amira Al-Sharif documented the multi-cultural lives of women, the beauty of ordinary daily life, and now the horror of a long raging and brutal war. Through stunning images of her beloved country of Yemen, Amira bears witness to what has been termed “the worst man-made humanitarian crisis in the world.” In this conversation, Amira talks about her life-long bond with the camera, her work to unveil misconceptions, and struggles to keep documenting lived experiences, while finding glimmers of hope in a place consumed by conflict and suffering. Using the lens of her camera, and unlocking her “bitter-sweet” memories, Amira reveals her artistic mission to rescue “the fleeting, hiding, or missing scenes” from her journey as a war photographer. This is part of an ongoing series by Ford Hall Forum titled, Beyond Borders: Women's Stories and the Art of Bearing Witness. Hear captivating storytellers share their work and bear witness to struggles about human rights, memory, belonging, and love. Image: Amira Al-Sharif

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When Two Voices Are Not Enough

Thu, Mar 11, 2021

When we say that poems and stories move us, we usually mean that they make us feel more deeply, or that they open us up to new knowledge or new ways of thinking. Acclaimed writer and human rights activist Alicia Partnoy, in conversation with pioneer women’s studies scholar Amy Kaminsky, shows us that poetry and storytelling are not just solitary practices. They are critical elements in the struggle for human rights, for survival, and for justice. They call on readers to become participants, to raise their own voices in solidarity. This is part of an ongoing series by Ford Hall Forum titled, Beyond Borders: Women's Stories and the Art of Bearing Witness. Hear captivating storytellers share their work and bear witness to struggles about human rights, memory, belonging, and love. Image: Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels **RESOURCES**: Learn more about [Alicia Partnoy](https://www.aliciapartnoy.com/blank-page) The song based on Alicia Partnoy’s poem is performed by Sweet Honey in the Rock. [Hear their performance](https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-carnegie-hall-mw0000652837) at Carnegie Hall. Check out Amy Kaminsky’s book, [The Other/Argentina: Jews, Gender, and Sexuality in the Making of a Modern Nation](http://www.sunypress.edu/p-7058-the-otherargentina.aspx) [Here](https://www.jstor.org/stable/43150851?seq=1) is a journal article, "Play in Memories of State Terror in Argentina: "The Little School" by Alicia Partnoy"

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Turning Your Body Into a Compass

Thu, Mar 4, 2021

Catherine Filloux is an award-winning playwright who has been writing plays about human rights and social justice for over twenty-five years. This talk includes Filloux’s work both in the U.S. and in Cambodia. She discusses her web play “Turning Your Body Into a Compass,” about children and deportation in the U.S., performed live as a 360° online experience. She also shares her work addressing issues of memory and complicity in relation to the experiences of Cambodians who suffered at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. She is joined by Mu Sochua, a Cambodian politician and rights activist. The moderator is Alexa Jordan, a playwright and actress who served as associate producer and outreach coordinator on “Turning Your Body Into a Compass."

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