The community is invited to participate in a live, virtual seminar with some of South Carolina's most prominent activists and persons who have worked on political campaigns on Monday, Feb. 22, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The session, titled "The Engaged Citizen: Stories from Activists," is the third of a series of events to be hosted by Lander's College of Behavioral and Social Sciences this semester, as part of the South Carolina Humanities Electoral Initiative.
Panelists include Mary Anne Inglis, former manager of Republican congressional campaigns and now co-founder of My Neighbor's Voice, an organization that hosts forums on how to build stronger communities in a time of toxic partnership; Laurin Manning Gandy, a digital media strategist who has worked on Democratic presidential campaigns; and Jerry Blassingame, Founder and CEO of Soteria Community Development Corporation, which works on re-entry programs with individuals who have been incarcerated. Topics include avenues for civic engagement, activism, ideological polarization and the rural/urban divide. Lucas McMillan, professor of political science at Lander, will serve as moderator.
Lander is one of four South Carolina universities presenting virtual programs in the Electoral Initiative, a series that brings together scholars from Lander University, Clemson University, Francis Marion University and the University of South Carolina, as well as political scientists from around the country.
To register for the session, please visit www.lander.edu/electoralinitiative. Once registered, the Crowdcast platform will allow participants to add the event to their personal electronic calendars.
For more information on this initiative, please contact the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at 864-388-8176.
A National Initiative:
The S.C. Humanities Electoral Initiative was funded by the "Why it Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation" initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The "Why It Matters" initiative will provide free humanities programs to engage the public in collaborative, accessible and thought-provoking dialogues on the importance of electoral and civic participation.
South Carolina Humanities:
The mission of South Carolina Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. This not-for-profit organization presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state.