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Albert Gallatin Lectures

In keeping with its academic mission, which is firmly rooted in the idea that knowledge and understanding grow through conversation and collaboration, the Gallatin School is pleased to present the Albert Gallatin Lecture (AGL) Series at NYU. The AGL, which had its inaugural presentation in the spring of 2007, brings a variety of notable figures from the worlds of politics, the arts, business, and academia to the University to discuss contemporary issues with students, faculty, alumni, and members of the wider community.The lectures are made possible through the support of an anonymous donor. 

Spring 2019

Dominique Morisseau

Dominique Morisseau is the author of The Detroit Project, a three-play cycle including: Skeleton Crew (Atlantic Theater Company), Paradise Blue (Signature Theatre), and Detroit ’67 (Public Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem and NBT). Additional credits: Pipeline (Lincoln Center Theatre); Sunset Baby (LAByrinth Theatre); Blood at the Root (National Black Theatre) and Follow Me To Nellie’s (Premiere Stages); and co-producer on the Showtime series Shameless. She wrote the book for Ain't Too Proud–The Life and Times of The Temptations, which opens on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on Opening Mar 21, 2019. Her honors include: Spirit of Detroit Award, PoNY Fellowship, Steinberg Award, AUDELCOS (2), NBTF August Wilson Playwriting Award, Kennedy Prize for Drama, OBIES (2), the Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellowship, Variety’s Women of Impact, and the 2018 MacArthur Genius Grant.

Spring 2017

Virginia Heffernan

"But What Is the Internet? An Ontological Guide to Writing, Talking, and Thinking About the Digital World"
Virginia Heffernan is a journalist, critic, and author, most recently of Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art (Simon & Schuster, 2016). She is also a host of Trumpcast, a podcast from Slate and Panoply. She writes the “Signs & Symbols” column for Fast Company and writes regularly for for POLITICO, The New York Times, WIRED, and many more publications.  

Winona LaDuke

"Standing Rock & the Seventh Generation: An Economics for Us All" (Video of full lecture)
On the 96th day of the Trump Era, we welcome Anishinaabekwe activist, writer, and political leader Winona LaDuke to help us understand this moment in history and speak about ongoing efforts toward social, cultural, and environmental justice. LaDuke will address the interrelated issues of energy, food sovereignty, Native Rights, and an economics for the 99%. And she’ll offer ideas about what we can do to come together, address climate justice, and move North America toward a sustainable, post-carbon economy.

Edwidge Danticat

"Create Dangerously" Edwidge Danticat, who emigrated from Haiti to Brooklyn at age 12, is the author of numerous books, including Claire of the Sea Light, a New York Times notable book; Brother, I’m Dying, a National Book Critics Circle Award winner and Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work, winner of the Caribbean Writers Grand Prize for Literature. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, Danticat has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and elsewhere.

Fall 2016

Reverend James M. Lawson, Jr.

"A Way Through The Chaos" The man who introduced the principles of Gandhian nonviolence to leaders of the Civil Rights Movement visited Gallatin to deliver the Fall 2016 Albert Gallatin Lecture.

Co-sponsored by: Africana Studies in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis (SCA); CMEP; Vice Provost for Faculty, Arts, Humanities, and Diversity; Liberal Studies; MLK, Jr. Scholars Program; and Tandon School of Engineering

Past AGL speakers have included