Just in time for the 2024 election comes Democracy Matters@Willamette, a series of lectures, panel discussions, and community activities and events that explore and encourage democratic participation.
Willamette faculty, student organizations, and university leaders representing all five of Willamette colleges and schools have organized events that will explore issues of democracy, politics, and government from every angle and discuss important issues that are at stake in democracies around the world, including LGBTQ civil rights, racial justice, immigration policy, the role of data in law and civil rights, and political polarization.
Democracy Matters also aims to encourage civic engagement by hosting voter registration drives and information sessions on Willamette’s Salem and Portland campuses. The series will also feature discussions on 2024 Oregon ballot measures, including Ranked-Choice Voting.
“In 2024, the election season is global,” said Carol Long, Provost and Senior Vice President. “Over the next few weeks, we have the opportunity to approach this global experience with curiosity, excitement, and empathy, and to demonstrate our commitment to learning and dialogue across differences.”
The event series will continue into Spring 2025.
Note: some events are open to the public. Please check the Willamette Events Calendar for full event information.
Democracy Matters Events
Fall 2024
Community Voter Registration at PNCA
Part of First Thursdays series at PNCA
Oct. 3
Voter Education Week
Rank Choice Voting Exercise & Voter Information
Oct. 7–11
Oregon Housing & Development Session Watch Party
Oct. 11
LAW AND DATA SCIENCE STUDENT WORKSHOP
with Meghan Maury, Chief of Staff for the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs
Oct. 16
National Early Voter Day
Oct. 29
Related Democracy Events
Mis/understanding Family Separation Policies in Contemporary Narratives of Migration
With Professor José Cortez, Assistant Professor of English and Latinx Studies at the University of Oregon
Sept. 30
Democracy Under Siege: Polarization and Politics on the Eve of the Third Reich
With James McSpadden, Assistant Professor of History, and Jean Sanford Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at the University of Nevada, Reno
Oct. 24
Underground Press: Portland’s Counterculture Publications of the 70s and 80s
Oct. 24
Community Art Build with Don’t Shoot PDX
Oct. 26
Graduate Symposium: Trans* Geographies
Nov. 7–9
The Urgent Work of Radical Belonging: A Lecture with Rev. Ben McBride
Lectures at PNCA and the Salem Campus
Pre- and Post-Event guided discussions led by the Conversation Project.
Nov. 12
