School of Media News

Author and Nation magazine senior contributing writer Ari Berman will speak about voting rights, the presidential election and his important 2015 book “Give Us The Ballot” during a free lecture open to the public in the Mass Media & Technology Hall auditorium at Western Kentucky University AT 7:30 P.M. CDT Thursday, April 7.

Berman, who Business Insider named one of the “50 most influential political pundits” in the U.S., has written extensively about American politics, civil rights, and the intersection of money and politics. His stories have also appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Politico and The Guardian, and he is a frequent guest and political commentator on MSNBC, NPR, PBS and C-Span.

Berman’s book “Give Us The Ballot” was called “a must read” by Civil Rights activist and Congressman John Lewis, who said it “should become a primer for every American.”

In his timely talk at WKU, Berman will discuss the history of the Voting Rights Act and the state of democracy in the United States. His book will be available for purchase during a book signing after the event.

“As Americans react to long lines at polling places and other voting rights issues, Ari Berman offers an important historic perspective and analysis of the state of democracy in our country,” said Amanda J. Crawford, a journalism professor co-teaching “Power, Privilege & Democracy,” the Fleischaker-Greene Scholars Program’s Spring 2016 class. “I’m very pleased that we can offer WKU students and faculty as well as the larger community the opportunity to hear Berman’s important point of view.”

The lecture, “Give Us The Ballot: Power, Privilege & Democracy,” is presented by WKU’s Fleischaker-Greene Scholars Program and the School of Journalism & Broadcasting and co-sponsored by The Potter College of Arts & Letters, the Department of History and the Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility (ICSR).