A Truly Public Forum
THE E.N. THOMPSON FORUM ENTERS ITS 34TH YEAR
BY MICHELE TILLY
As the premiere lecture series in Nebraska, the E. N. Thompson Forum on World Issues has brought speakers who address issues that impact us locally and globally. Renowned experts and leaders have focused on democracy, freedom of speech, environmental issues, religious freedom, foreign policy, health, the arts, public policy, and many other topics, giving us opportunity for insight, debate, and discussion.
In 1988, E.N. “Jack” Thompson, then President of the Cooper Foundation, gathered a group to discuss a series to bring expertise on global topics and international issues to Lincoln. The University of Nebraska agreed to co-sponsor, and the Lied Center for Performing Arts signed on as a major partner. Since then, the Forum has brought more than 160 speakers, including world leaders such as former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu, journalist David Brooks, activists Bill McKibben and Jose Antonio Vargas, former government officials John Bolton and Robert MacNamara, artists Yo Yo Ma, Misty Copeland, and Bono, and accomplished Nebraskans, including Chuck Hagel, Bob Kerrey, Ted Sorensen, Joel Sartore, and Mary Pipher, among others.
This year’s theme, “Moments of Reckoning: Global Calls for Racial Equity and Action,” highlights historical and contemporary cases of discrimination, and efforts to dismantle racial injustices. Events at the Lied Center include world-renowned actress, author, and playwright Anna Deavere Smith (seen on West Wing, Nurse Jackie, and Blackish) on February 2, 2022, for “A Conversation on Race and the Arts,” moderated by Lincoln city council member Sandra Washington, and Walter Echo-Hawk, Native American attorney, tribal leader, and law professor will speak on April 6, 2022, about “Reckoning and Reconciliation on the Great Plains.”
Reaching out to the youth in the community, a Cooper Conversation organized by students at the UNL Honors Program will host a Forum Youth Panel at The Bay on racial justice, featuring young people from the UNL and Lincoln communities to talk about activism.
DON’T MISS OUR UPCOMING EVENTS
February 9, 2022: Anna Deavere Smith, “A Conversation on Race and the Arts”
March 22, 2022: Forum Youth Panel - “Performative Activism: Youths Reckoning with Racial Justice”
April 6, 2022: Walter Echo-Hawk, “Reckoning and Reconciliation on the Great Plains”
All events are free and open to the public. Events are streamed on the E.N. Thompson Forum website and have closed captioning. For more information or to reserve your free ticket, visit ENThompson.unl.edu.