Dear Sagehens:
Since 2017, the Payton Distinguished Lectureship has brought renowned scholars and thinkers to campus and given us an opportunity to examine, as a community, the fundamental role of civil rights, equity and justice in American democracy. These values were central to the legacy of the lectureship’s namesake, John Payton ’73; as an alum and trustee, John carried the banner of freedom and civil rights around the world. At a time when the foundations of American democracy are in question, these discussions are more essential than ever.
I am pleased to announce the award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar and journalist Henry Louis Gates, Jr., as this year’s distinguished speaker. Gates is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University. He has received numerous honors, including a MacArthur Fellowship, and his filmmaking has earned Emmy, Peabody and NAACP Image Awards. Gates also received an honorary degree from Pomona College in 2020, and was one of two speakers to address graduates in a virtual ceremony that year.
From a personal perspective, I have greatly appreciated how Prof. Gates has worked to make our nation’s history more inclusive, truthful and accessible. Through his social commentary in The New York Times, dozens of books, and PBS programs such as Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches and Finding Your Roots, Gates has brought his incisive examinations of America’s past to audiences across the country. I am thrilled to welcome him to campus.
We are once again hosting the Payton Lecture during Family Weekend so that visiting family members can share in this crucial conversation and engage with the same concepts our students examine every day. As always, the event is open to the public, as we extend a warm welcome to residents of Claremont and the Inland Empire.
Event information has been posted, with online ticketing details to follow in the coming weeks. As always, tickets for the Payton lecture will be free of charge. I look forward to seeing you there.
Best,
Gabi