2024
"Elections 2024: The Importance of Listening to the People"
Watch the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs 2024 Wilder Symposium, “Elections 2024: The Importance of Listening to the People.” Held on Sept. 17, 66th governor of Virginia, L. Douglas Wilder, the nation’s first elected African-American governor, discusses the critical importance of leadership by listening and responding to the needs of the people and explores the importance of strengthening people-first democracy.
Joining him as panelists are Virginia’s leading political analysts, Dr. Bob Holsworth, managing partner of the consulting firm DecideSmart and founding director of the Wilder School; Dr. Larry Sabato, founder and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics; Dr. Susan Gooden, dean of the Wilder School; and Dr. Robyn McDougle, associate dean of research and outreach at the Wilder School.
2023
"HBCUs and the Absence of Support"
66th Governor of Virginia L. Douglas Wilder hosted a panel discussion with Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, President of Howard University, Dr. Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn, director of the Wilder School Research Institute for Social Equity, the Honorable Roger L. Gregory, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Honorable Jason Miyares, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The event was moderated by Dr. Bob Holsworth, political analyst and managing partner of the consulting firm DecideSmart.
2022
“Racism, Health, and Accountability”
As the signature speaker, Governor L. Douglas Wilder discussed the complex ethical issues exposed during the case and examined its lasting historic impact today. Wilder traced the role of institutionalized racism to the ongoing battle for healthcare equity and access. He also fielded questions from moderator Wilder School Dean Susan Gooden and audience members.
Hosted by the Wilder School and University College, this symposium is part of a larger series based on the 2022-2023 VCU Common Book, "The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South" by Chip Jones.
2021
“The Triple Pandemic: Implications for Racial Equity and Public Policy”
Based on an edited volume of the same name, “The Triple Pandemic” examined the threefold convergence of major threats to public health, economic livelihood and access to justice during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The focus was on multifaceted approaches that examined racial equity through existing public policy as well as exploring new ideas to transform change across communities.
The event included three panel discussions encompassing the primary sections of the volume, addressing racial equity and public policy in three key areas with the following presenters:
PUBLIC HEALTH - Nakeina Douglas-Glenn, PhD, Hans Louis-Charles, PhD, and Jacqueline Smith-Mason, PhD
JUSTICE - Chernoh Wurie, PhD, Christina Mancini, PhD, and Steven Keener, PhD (CNU)
ECONOMICS - Elsie Harper-Anderson, PhD, Benjamin Teresa, PhD, and Grant Rissler, PhD