Achieving Social Justice in the Obama Era: Power and Legalities

As the 2012 presidential election approaches, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether the controversial new voter identification laws amount to new forms of voter suppression. Distinguished scholar and civil rights activist Mary Frances Berry will review the historical roots of voter suppression and the current struggle to achieve social justice through court elections, litigation, and community mobilization.

MARY FRANCES BERRY is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of 10 books including:

• Power in Words: The Stories behind Barack Obama’s Speeches, from the State House to the White House with Josh Gottheimer (2010) and;

• And Justice For All: The United States Commission On Civil Rights and the Struggle For Freedom in America (2009) Berry has had a distinguished career in public service, having served as a member and then chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights as well as assistant secretary for education in the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. She also has served as provost of the University of Maryland and chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

This event is being generously co-sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Office of Public Affairs, the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.