WASHINGTON – The 2020-2021 Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy Lecture Series, chaired by political strategist and author Donna Brazile, will return Thursday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. ET online via Zoom. The lecture, titled “Challenging Voter Suppression at the Ballot Box,” will feature Brazile in conversation with former Georgia state representative, nonprofit leader and political activist, Stacey Abrams, and president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Spencer Overton. Registration for this event is now open.

Abrams is the New York Times bestselling author of “Our Time is Now” and “Lead from the Outside.” A serial entrepreneur, nonprofit CEO and political leader, Abrams served as Democratic Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives for seven years prior to running for governor of Georgia, where she won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. Over the course of her career, she has founded multiple organizations devoted to voting rights, where she has committed to training and hiring young people of color and tackling social issues. She launched Fair Fight Action after her 2018 gubernatorial election to ensure every American has a voice in our election system; Fair Count to ensure accuracy in the 2020 Census; and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South.

Overton is president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies – America’s Black think tank founded in 1970. The Joint Center currently focuses on economic recovery in Black communities in the wake of COVID-19 (including the future of workers), diversity in congressional staff and presidential appointments, and the implications of tech policy for Black communities. Spencer is also a tenured professor of law at George Washington University and author of the book, “Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression.” He has written several academic articles and popular commentaries on voting rights. Spencer’s work as a member of two national election reform commissions shaped the modern voter ID debate and resulted in Iowa restoring voting rights to 98,000 returning citizens. He was also an active member of a commission that moved two diverse states, South Carolina and Nevada, to the beginning of the modern Democratic presidential primary process just before Super Tuesday. Within the past year he has written an academic article on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. He testified before Congress and submitted comments to the FCC explaining that the Trump administration’s petition to interpret Section 230 narrowly would discourage social media platforms from removing disinformation that harms Black communities.

Click here to register for “Challenging Voter Suppression at the Ballot Box.”

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About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

Media Contact: Misha Cornelius, misha.cornelius@howard.edu