October 02, 2008
Esteemed scholars, practitioners, government officials and
political commentators gathered for a two-day symposium on
September 26-27 in the Belson Moot Courtroom at St. John’s
University School of Law to
discuss several key issues that have and continue to play a role in
the 2008 Elections.
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Gallery
The Making History: Race, Gender and the Media in the 2008
Elections symposium served as a chance for dialogue and idea
exchange for the panelists and the more than 120 audience members
alike. Those unable to attend had the opportunity to view the
symposium live through web streaming on the St. John’s University
website and could participate via the internet by e-mailing
questions for the experts to answer in real time.
The Making History symposium, sponsored by the Ronald
H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development and
the Journal of Legal Commentary at St. John’s,
investigated issues of race, gender, media, election law and policy
through a series of engaging and expert panel discussions, featured
dialogues, and addresses, including a keynote address by Donna
Brazile, the first African American to lead a major presidential
campaign, a frequent CNN contributor, and Chair of the Democratic
National Committee's Voting Rights Institute (VRI) and comments
from FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein.
In addition, New York Daily News Columnist Errol Lewis moderated
a discussion that included Marcus Mabry, New York Times
International Business Editor and author of the biography “Twice As
Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path To Power”, and election law
scholar, Sherillyn Ifill, on the impact of elections on American
politics.
St. John’s University Professor, Director of the Ronald H. Brown
Center and Co-Chair of the Making History symposium, Leonard
Baynes, took part in a discussion about Race and Ethnicity in
the 2008 Elections. Joining him on the panel were Deepa Iyer,
Executive Director, South Asian Americans Leading Together;
Federico Subervi, Professor, Texas State University; and Leland
Ware, Professor of Law and Public Policy, University of
Delaware.
Professors Cynthia Neal-Spence (Spelman College), Donna Rouner
(Colorado State), Anthony E. Varona (Washington College of Law) and
Valorie K. Vojdik (West Virginia University College of Law) each
spoke about the role that gender has played in the elections in a
panel discussion moderated by St. John’s University School of Law
Professor Rosemary C. Salomone.
Janai
S. Nelson, Assistant Professor of Law and Assistant Director of
the Ronald H. Brown Center at St. John’s, co-chaired the symposium
and served as moderator for a panel discussion featuring Ellen L.
Weintraub, Commissioner, Federal Elections Commission. The
panel, titled: Election Law and Policy in the 2008 Elections, also
featured Jacqueline A. Berrien, Associate Director-Counsel NAACP
Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.; Bob Edgar, President and
CEO, Common Cause; Kareem U. Crayton, Asst. Professor of Law and
Political Science, University of Southern California Gould School
of Law; Terry Smith, Visiting Professor of Law, DePaul University
School of Law.
Other topics discussed by esteemed college and university
professors and other experts from around the country
included: The Role of the Media in Shaping Perceptions of Race,
Ethnicity, and Gender in the 2008 Elections; A Dialogue on
Elections and the Public Sphere; A Dialogue on Legal Constructions
of Race, Gender, and Identity in the 2008 Elections; and
Developments in New Technology and Media Policy.
Andrew C. Johnson, Editor-in-Chief and Stephanie A. Dodge,
Articles Editor of the St. John’s University Journal of Legal
Commentary bestowed posthumous Trailblazer Awards upon
Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the
United States (1872), and the Honorable Shirley Chisholm, the first
African-American congresswoman and the first African-American to
run in the Presidential primaries of a major party, during a
ceremony held on Friday. Mary Shearer of Victoria Woodhull and
Company accepted the award on behalf of Woodhull and Shola Lynch,
Director/Producer REALside Productions, accepted on behalf of
Chisholm.
For more information on the Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil
Rights and Economic Development, please visit www.stjohns.edu/law/ronbrown.