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Ambassador Andrew Young to headline post-election forum Nov. 6
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Jacqueline Lee
photo collage of Robert M. Franklin Jr., Joseph Crespino, Andra Gillespie and Andrew Young

Robert M. Franklin Jr. (left) will moderate the discussion between Joseph Crespino, Andra Gillespie and civil rights leader Andrew Young. Registration for in-person or online attendance is open.

The day after polls close for the U.S. presidential election, Candler School of Theology’s James T. and Berta R. Laney Program in Moral Leadership and The Candler Foundry will host a forum reflecting on the election, the path forward for American democracy and the role of faith communities in healing the country’s divides.

The event will feature civil rights leader Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, along with distinguished Emory scholars Joseph Crespino, senior associate dean of faculty, divisional dean of humanities and social sciences, and Jimmy Carter Professor of History; and Andra Gillespie, associate professor of political science and director of Emory’s James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference. Candler’s own Robert M. Franklin Jr., the program’s organizer, will serve as moderator for the conversation.

For Franklin, the James T. and Berta Laney Professor in Moral Leadership at Candler, the event represents a rich opportunity for thoughtful discourse during a time of deep division.

“As I think about what we at Candler are attempting to accomplish as a seminary embedded in a major research university, I think that pausing to understand both our country’s recent and long past, as well as the reasons for the current political and social polarization, is a high priority,” Franklin says.

During the forum, each panelist will offer individual reflections, followed by a moderated dialogue with Franklin. Gillespie will comment on poll predictions, actual election results to date and trends; Crespino will consider the election in light of American history, culture and the role of religion; and Young will reflect on the election and the way forward in light of past struggles for justice, inclusion and freedom. There will also be time for the panelists to take questions from the audience.

“Through this panel, we will aim to listen, discern and understand where our fellow Americans are following such a tense election season,” Franklin says. “These national experts will help us make sense of the post-election climate and prepare to forge ahead together.”


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