Student Voter Panel with Special Guest, President of the National Urban League Marc H. Morial

Student Voter Panel with Special Guest, President of the National Urban League Marc H. Morial 

When: October (October 19^th at 5 p.m.) 

Where: Quick Center Virtual Streaming Platform

Who: Marc H. Morial CEO/President of the National Urban League; Fairfield Politics Professor, Dr. Gayle Alberda; Senior Students Peter Baron, Phoebe Charpentier, and Sebastian Michel

Background: As we approach the 2022 midterm elections, it is clear the youth vote is more important than ever. Our democratic institutions are being challenged, the Supreme Court is issuing controversial rulings, gun violence is claiming thousands of lives, and school districts across the nation are attempting to rewrite and erase black, minority, and indigenous history from curriculums. The former Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, Marc H. Morial has been president of the historic National Urban League for the last 19 years and has been working tirelessly to drive the youth vote. Mr. Morial and three Fairfield University students will be joined by Fairfield Politics Professor, Dr. Alberda, to discuss the issues that matter most to student voters. 

The vision: A three-student panel with Mr. Morial and a Fairfield Politics Professor will discuss the historical stakes of the mid-term elections, the recent Supreme Court rulings, gun violence, and the efforts to ban books and rewrite history textbooks in schools. The hour-long discussion will conclude with a lightning round Question and Answer session featuring questions from Fairfield University Students and local community leaders gathered by the student panelists. The goal of the event is twofold; firstly, we want to amplify student voices by bringing light to the issues that matter most to student voters, and secondly, we want to provide listeners with an informed discussion that captures the seriousness of the midterm elections and expresses why we should have hope in this moment. 

Event format: 

Minute 0-5: introduction of panelists

5-15: discussion of seriousness of this election amidst threats to democracy

15-30: Discussion of recent Supreme Court Rulings

30-40: Discussion of attack on so-called Critical Race Theory being taught in Schools

40-50: Discussion of gun violence

50-60: Question and Answer lightning round and concluding remarks