About the 12th annual Barbara Jordan National Forum on Public Policy
Registration
Registration is now closed. If you weren't able to register, you can still watch a live broadcast of the Keynote Address by Harold Ford, Jr. at 5 pm on the day of the forum at http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/webcasts/.
Program Schedule - Thursday, February 21, 2008
Location: Thomson Conference Center
10:15 am - 11:15 amRegistration
11:30 am - 1:00 pm Lunch Colloquium
Max Sherman presents Speaking the Truth with Eloquent Thunder
Using a collection of eight of Barbara Jordan's famous speeches, Speaking the Truth with Eloquent Thunder will allow us to hear Jordan's words from her own mouth as well as the reflections of her long-time friend and colleague, Max Sherman.
Presentation of Multi-Media Contest Winners
1:30 pm - 3:00 pmPanel 1 - Who Represents Us? The New Generation of Leaders
"We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation…but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America."
- Barbara Jordan, Democratic Convention, 1976
Four decades since the 1960s civil rights movement, has the new generation of minority elected officials fulfilled Jordan's vision? What are the consequences of moving from grassroots activism to full participation in the legislative process? Are the issues facing minority communities being addressed adequately?
Panelists
- The Honorable Juan Garcia, Texas State Representative
- The Honorable Donna Howard, Texas State Representative
- The Honorable Ruth McClendon, Texas State Representative
- Frank Alvarez, Chair Travis County Republican National Hispanic Assembly
- Moderator: The Honorable Sherri Greenberg, Lecturer and Fellow Max Sherman Chair, LBJ School of Public Affairs
3:15 pm - 4:45 pm Panel 2 - Does My Vote Count? The Effects of Polarization,
Technology and Redistricting
"We believe that the people are the source of all governmental power; that the authority of the people is to be extended, not restricted. This can be accomplished only by providing each citizen with every opportunity to participate in the management of the government. They must have that." - Barbara Jordan, Democratic Convention, 1976
Jordan believed in the responsibility of citizens to participate in government as voters and of elected officials to effect change in government. Securing the right to vote was an integral part of the civil rights movement. The latest extension of the Voting Rights Act (signed into law by President Bush in 2006) raised concerns over a variety of issues, such as pre-clearance and redistricting. What is the impact of the VRA in general? What is its impact on the state of disenfranchisement in America? Four decades after the civil rights movement, are minority citizens exercising voting rights? Does voter ID and anti-voter fraud legislation threaten voting rights? What does the future hold for voting in America?
Panelists
- Steve Bickerstaff, Professor, School of Law, University of Texas
- Paul Burka, Executive Editor of Texas Monthly
- The Honorable Jeff Wentworth, Texas State Senator
- The Honorable Rodney Ellis, Texas State Senator
- Moderator: The Honorable Ray Martinez III, Adjunct Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Keynote Address and Evening Reception
5:00 pm - 5:45 pmKeynote Address
The Honorable Harold Ford, Jr.
Thompson Conference Center Auditorium
5:45 pm - 6:00 pmPresentation of Service Award
Thompson Conference Center Auditorium
6:00 pm - 7:00 pmEvening Reception
Thompson Conference Center Dining Room
7:00 pm - 8:30 pmPresidential Debate Watching Party
Hosted by BJNF and the Dean's Office of the Lyndon B. Johnson
School of Public Affairs
Thompson Conference Center Dining Room
Download printable Program Schedule.