2026 Event Series
Dialogue Vanderbilt’s 250 Conversations on America: Civil Discourse in Action is a yearlong series celebrating our nation’s 250th anniversary and Vanderbilt’s enduring commitment to open dialogue.
About
Vanderbilt is gathering leaders and innovators, from all disciplines to participate in conversations across our Nashville and New York campuses to model civil discourse in action.
These conversations will be real dialogue that moves beyond sound bites and performance to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time and brings curiosity and conversation back to the public square. Together, we will explore how listening, understanding and learning how to “disagree” and “agree” with nuance, evidence and civility can shape a stronger, more connected future.
2026 Event Series
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June 8, 2026:
View from the East Wing: A Memoir
A special evening for a candid conversation with former First Lady Jill Biden about her life in the White House during a singular moment in US history.
In partnership with the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries and Parnassus Books.
6:30PM - Vanderbilt Langford Auditorium, 2209 Garland Ave, Nashville, TN
Watch Past Event Recordings
Past Events
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April 28, 2026:
Featuring author Rachel Goldberg-Polin in conversation with Rabbi Laurie Rice
In partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, Congregation Micah, the Department of Jewish Studies, Chabad of Vanderbilt, and Vanderbilt Hillel.
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April 23-24, 2026:
Asness Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats
The Shadow of War, The Illusion of Peace: National Security in the Age of Asymmetry
Attendance is by invitation only. Those interested in learning more are encouraged to complete the form linked below.
In partnership with the Institute of National Security.
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April 23, 2026:
Jock Jams: A Listening Session with Soul’d Creative Collective
In partnership with the National Museum of African American Music and the Vanderbilt Sports and Society Initiative.
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April 20, 2026:
Cracking the Code: How Vanderbilt Students Won Over MLB Executives
In partnership with the Vanderbilt Sports Business & Analytics Club.
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April 17, 2026:
Featuring a conversation with author Sven Beckert, Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University
In partnership with the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies.
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April 15, 2026:
Evolutionary Studies Initiative Earth Day Lecture: Mass Extinction and Ecosystem Recovery featuring Greg Wilson Mantilla
In partnership with the Evolutionary Studies Initiative.
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April 14, 2026:
Featuring Paul Stob, Vanderbilt University Professor of Communication Studies;
Director of Culture, Advocacy, and Leadership; Director of A&S College CoreIn partnership with the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries and Parnassus Books.
Who Is American? Belonging and the Question of Jewish Citizenship
Featuring a conversation with author Lila Corwin Berman, New York University Professor of American Jewish History; Director, Goldstein-Goren Center for American Jewish History
In partnership with the Department of Jewish Studies.
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April 10, 2026:
The Aging of Information: From Info-Enthusiasm to Info-Anxiety
Featuring Paul Duguid, Adjunct Professor Emeritus at the School of Information, University of California, Berkeley
In partnership with the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies.
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April 9, 2026:
Locked Out: Structural Barriers Facing the Formerly Incarcerated
Panel featuring Kelsey Hall, Rep. Harold Love, Jr., Savannah Quintero & Thomas Shaw
In partnership with Vanderbilt Divinity School.
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April 8, 2026:
Can AI Strengthen Democracy?
A conversation with Warren County Judge/Executive Doug Gorman of Kentucky and Scott Carpenter, Managing Director of Jigsaw, a Google company.
The conversation will be moderated by Joshua D. Clinton, Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University; Abby and Jon Winkelried Chair; Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions; and Executive Board Member of the Data Science Institute.
Presented by Dialogue Vanderbilt.
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April 2, 2026:
Poverty, Power, and the Possibility of Change
Community Over Chaos Speaker Series featuring Dr. Matthew Desmond, the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and the principal investigator of The Eviction Lab. This conversation will be moderated by Michael Eric Dyson, Vanderbilt University Divinity School Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society.
In partnership with the James Lawson Institute.
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April 1, 2026:
Who Speaks for Nashville Now? Local Journalism and Democratic Accountability
Featured speakers include Steve Cavendish, John Geer, Keel Hunt, Meribah Knight, Dwight Lewis, Eli Motycka and Jeff Yarbro.
In partnership with the Curb Center and the Special Collections & University Archives.
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March 26, 2026:
On Antisemitism: A Word in History
Featuring a conversation with author Mark Mazower, Ira D. Wallach Professor of History at Columbia University
In partnership with the Department of Jewish Studies.
Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age
Featuring a conversation with the author, National Book Award–winning historian Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, and Representative Justin Jones
In partnership with the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries and Parnassus Books.
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March 24, 2026:
Musicality for Modern Humans: How to Listen Like an Artist
Featuring a conversation with author Craig Havighurst
In partnership with the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries.
Special community gathering featuring a lecture from a freed hostage and Nova Festival survivor, Maya Regev
In partnership with Chabad of Vanderbilt.
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March 19, 2026:
Covering Climate in Chaotic Times featuring Sadie Babits, National Public Radio Senior Supervising Climate Editor
In partnership with the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies.
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March 18, 2026:
Evolutionary Studies Initiative 2026 J.T. Scopes Lecture featuring Tyrone B. Hayes
In partnership with the Evolutionary Studies Initiative.
Charley Pride: I’m Just Me: A Film Screening and Live Discussion
Featuring Filmmaker and Director Barbara Hall and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick
In partnership with the National Museum of African American Music and the Vanderbilt Sports and Society Initiative.
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March 17, 2026:
Reclaiming Our Cities: Fighting Displacement and Building Belonging
Community Over Chaos Speaker Series featuring Tara Raghuveer, Tenant Union Federation
In partnership with the James Lawson Institute.
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March 11, 2026:
Nashville's Hidden Heroes: Honoring Rabbi Randall M. Falk
Moderated by André L. Churchwell, M.D.
In partnership with the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries.
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March 5, 2026:
Barrett Lecture: Civic Courage, the Rule of Law, and the Legal Profession at a Crossroads featuring Donald B. Verrilli, Jr.
In partnership with Vanderbilt Law School.
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March 2, 2026:
Is There A Center in America? A Conversation with Joe Manchin and Jon Meacham
Presented by Dialogue Vanderbilt.
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February 27, 2026:
2026 Tennessee Campus Civic Summit
Student-Driven Solutions for Tennessee's Future featuring Keynote Speaker Katie Fahey, Executive Director of The People
In partnership with the Tennessee Democracy Network, Civic TN, and Vandy Votes.
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February 26, 2026:
Bishop Johnson Black Cultural Center presents the Black Future Symposium 2026: Blackness and Artificial Intelligence
Presenters: Morgan Debaun, Founder and CEO of Blavity Inc and AfroTech Conference; Corey Ponder, Alum (B.S. '07) & Global Head of Policy and Product Partnerships at TikTok; Dr. Charreau Bell, Senior Data Scientist at the Data Science Institute at Vanderbilt
In partnership with the Bishop Johnson Black Cultural Center.
Live. Learn. Lead. Academy Symposium Keynote Speaker Coach Clark Lea
In partnership with the Live. Learn. Lead. Academy.
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February 25, 2026:
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham to discuss his latest book in conversation with former NBC News anchor and correspondent John M. Seigenthaler
American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union
In partnership with the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries and Parnassus Books.
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February 24, 2026:
We Live Here: Community Power and the Struggle for Environmental Justice featuring Sharon Cayette Lavigne and Shamyra Lavigne-Davey of RISE St. James
In collaboration with the James Lawson Institute.
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February 20, 2026:
Vanderbilt Holocaust Lecture Series featuring Dr. Alex Kor & Dr. Stacy Gallin
Medicine and Morality: Why the Lessons and Legacies of the Holocaust Matter Now More Than Ever
In partnership with the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life, Chabad of Vanderbilt, and Vanderbilt Hillel.
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February 18, 2026:
Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. Memoir Launch Celebration
NONVIOLENT: My Life of Resistance, Agitation, and Love by Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. and Emily Yellin
In partnership with the James Lawson Institute and Parnassus Books.
International Darwin Day Lecture featuring Michael Lynch
Evolutionary Cell Biology: Rethinking the Origins of Cellular Architecture
In partnership with the Evolutionary Studies Initiative.
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February 17, 2026:
The John C. Kornblum Distinguished Lecture Series featuring Metin Hakverdi
In partnership with the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies and the American Council on Germany.
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February 11, 2026:
Building What Lasts: No BS Lessons from a Made-in-America Company featuring Bill Banta, CEO of DECKED
Presented by Dialogue Vanderbilt.
Where is Our Hope in a World of Death? A conversation on living and dying well featuring Jessika C. Boles and Lydia Dugdale
In partnership with the Veritas Forum.
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February 6, 2026:
Vanderbilt Divinity School Lunch and Learn featuring Rep. Harold Love, Jr.
In partnership with the Vanderbilt Divinity School.
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February 4, 2026:
The Vanderbilt Lecture Series on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats featuring Richard Moore, KCMG
In partnership with the Institute of National Security.
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February 3, 2026:
The Death of Facebook featuring Teddy Solomon, CEO of Fizz
Presented by Dialogue Vanderbilt.
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January 15, 2026:
MLK Commemorative Event Series featuring Cheryl McKissack Daniel in Conversation with Jeremi London
In partnership with the MLK Commemorative Event Series.
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January 13, 2026:
Community as Sanctuary: Defending Immigrant Families in Times of Fear featuring Cathy Carrillo, Co-Founder of ReMIX TN
In collaboration with the James Lawson Institute.