Events

Although poverty and uneven development exists throughout the United States, the South has had a disproportionate share of the nation’s socioeconomic problems. For decades, poverty has been the highest and most persistent in that region, and the Great Recession has only worsened the problem.

In this talk, Dr. Regina Baker, assistant professor of sociology, School of Arts & Sciences, will address the reasons for this regional disparity and why, as a nation, Americans should care. Drawing on her research on the South, Dr. Baker will discuss the role of demographic, economic, political and racial factors in understanding poverty in the context of place. She will also touch on the uncertainty of future safety nets for America’s most vulnerable populations in the current political climate.

Guest Speaker: Amber Hikes, Director, Office of LGBT Affairs – City of Philadelphia

A panel of scholars who will engage the Penn community in conversation around: a) the role of identity in shaping the 2016 US presidential election and b) how we might expect issues of identity (e.g., race, immigration, gender, religion, citizenship, among others) to develop under the Trump Administration. Following the panel discussion, program attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a Q&A with the panelists.

As part of LALSIS - Latin American and Latino Studies Speaker Series - a talk by Christopher Heaney, Barra Postdoctoral Fellow at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies.

As part of the Latinx Heritage Month, keynote address provided by a leader in the Latinx community that exemplifies the contributions to labor that Latinxs have made in the United States. Speaker: Gabby Rivera, creator of Marvel’s America series and author of "Juliet Takes a Breath."

A Panel discussion with Kristina Arriaga (US Commission of International Religious Freedom), Dan Barker (Freedom From Religion Foundation), Khalid Latif (NYU Islamic Center), and David Saperstein (Union for Reform Judaism).  Moderated by Jeffrey Rosen (National Constitution Center).

Penn Professor of Education, Political Science, and Philosophy Dr. Sigal R. Ben-Porath discusses and signs “Free Speech on Campus.” Everyone with a stake in campus controversiesprofessors, students, administrators, and informed members of the wider publicwill find something valuable in Ben-Porath's illuminating discussion of these crucially important issues.

As one of the highlights of Penn Global Week, Penn staff, faculty and US students are invited to join ISSS for a fun, interactive, and engaging simulation exercise (called ACIREMA --- which is spelled AMERICA backwards) designed to give participants a glimpse into the journey that international students undertake in coming to study in the United States.

Award winning entrepreneur and self-proclaimed auto airhead, Patrice Banks discusses and signs copies of her new book, THE GIRLS AUTO CLINIC GLOVE BOX GUIDE. She is the founder of Girls Auto Clinic.