Audience
This community-focused virtual series promotes voter education, civic engagement, and personal empowerment. St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Center for the Study of Democracy and Student Activities Department, and the College of Southern Maryland’s Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership, Equity and Inclusive Diversity Office, and Student Life Department, prepare students and the Southern Maryland community for the upcoming elections. Audiences will be informed, engaged, and galvanized to action.
Registration is required for these free Zoom events.
One Community: Bridging Divides
Sept. 15, 2020. 7-8 p.m.
The public is invited to listen and watch the inaugural event of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership which celebrates the leadership of Senator Miller and his legacy of reaching across the aisle to create positive change for Maryland.
National Voter Registration Day: Your Vote. Your Choice. Your Future.
Sept. 22, 2020, 12:00pm -1:00 pm.
Open to CSM and SMCM students, faculty, and staff
Join the Center for the Study of Democracy and the Student Activities Department for a virtual voter registration event on National Voter Registration Day, Tuesday, September 22, 2020. This nonpartisan event constitutes part of our efforts to encourage citizens to participate in the general election on November 3rd. As part of this event, guests are asked to contemplate and respond to the following: 1) Why is voting important for you? 2) Why do you think it is necessary for others to register and vote this fall?
A Pledge to Truth and Civility
Oct. 8, 2020, 7-8 p.m.
The public is invited join CSM Professor of Communications Michelle Christian and CSM Instructor of Media Studies, Journalist and CSM Nonprofit Institute Coordinator Cara Fogarty discuss how to spot fake news, the importance of checking facts and sources of information, and a variety of strategies for maintaining civility while engaging in difficult political conversations.
Liberty and Justice for All? The History of Voting Rights in America
Oct. 22, 2020. 7-8 p.m.
The public is invited to hear CSM Professor of History and Humanities and Social Sciences Department Chair Dr. Christine Arnold-Lourie travel through history to discover the evolution of American voting rights: How certain populations were denied the right to vote, the hard-fought battles to gain suffrage and discriminatory voting practices that still exist today.
Indivisible: A Post Election Debrief
Nov. 10, 2020, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Open to CSM and SMCM students, faculty, and staff
We do not know what the results of the 2020 Election will be, but we do know that many of our neighbors will celebrate, and many will be frustrated—perhaps feeling despair. This moderated session will enable CSM and SMCM faculty, staff, and students to come together again to process thoughts and feelings about the election process and results and to begin to envision a positive path forward as one community.
Please contact the Center for the Study of Democracy at democracy@smcm.edu with any further questions or inquiries.