2008 John F. Kennedy Library Forums

For reservations and information: All forums are free and open to the public. Reservations are required. Reservations guarantee a seat in the building but not the main hall. Doors to the main hall open one hour before the program begins. To make a reservation, please call 617.514.1643. Speakers’ schedules may change, so please call 617.514.1642 to confirm all forums before coming to the Library. For more information and transcripts of past forums, please visit www.jfklibrary.org. | (Fall 2003 Forums | 2004 Forums | 2005 Forums | 2006 Forums | 2007 Forums | 2008 Forums)

Internet, Blogs, You Tube and Presidential Campaigns | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
September 11, 2008
Political reporters Matt Bai of The New York Times and Garrett Graff of Washingtonian Magazine (and the first blogger given a White House press pass); and, Joe Trippi, campaign advisor to Howard Dean (2004) and John Edwards (2008) examine how the internet has revolutionized politics with Tom Ashbrook, host of WBUR's On Point.

Transformative Presidencies | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
September 8, 2008
What leadership qualities characterize Presidents who transform history? What kind of presidential leader does our country need now? Harvard Professor and author Joe Nye, (The Powers to Lead); columnist and author Robert Kuttner, (Obama's Challenge: America's Economic Crisis and the Power of a Transformative Presidency); and, Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein discuss these questions with ABC News White House correspondent Martha Raddatz.

Nancy Pelosi | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
August 4, 2008
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed her new autobiography, Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters, with Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Centennial of Thurgood Marshall | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
June 16 , 2008
July 2, 2008 marks the centennial of Thurgood Marshall's birth. Join Juan Williams, NPR Senior Correspondent and author of Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary; U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner; and, Harvard Law Professor Lani Guinier as they honor the first African American appointed to the United State Supreme Court. Georgetown Law Professor Sheryll Cashin moderates.

2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
June 7 , 2008
Muhammad Yunus discusses his book, Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism, which outlines a new business model to create a more humane world. Dr. Lincoln Chen, founder of Harvard University's Global Equity Initative, moderates.

An Evening with Ted Sorensen | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
May 28, 2008
Former Boston Globe columnist Tom Oliphant moderates a discussion with Mr. Sorensen's former colleagues in the Kennedy administration -- Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense; Carl Kaysen, Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs; and, Lee C. White, Assistant Special Counsel to the President and a law school classmate of Mr. Sorensen's -- along with Adam Frankel, who assisted Mr. Sorensen in research on his autobiography, Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History, which is being published in May.

A Conversation with Barney Frank | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
April 28, 2008
Congressman Barney Frank discusses the federal government's role in addressing economic and social problems, particularly growing inequality in our society, with New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.

Saving the Environment | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
April 7, 2008
How have business, religious and community leaders raised the consciousness of citizens to become environmentally responsible? Gary Hirshberg, the founder and CEO of Stonyfield Farm; Richard Cizik, Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals; Robin Chase, Founder of ZipCar; and, Mindy Lubber, President of Ceres, share their innovative approaches. Renee Loth, Editor of the Editorial Page of The Boston Globe, moderates.

Challenges for the UN | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
March 24, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power discusses her new book Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World, with John Shattuck, CEO of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor under President Clinton.

Carol Johnson | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
March 20, 2008
Boston's new School Superintendent Carol Johnson discusses the challenges facing our public schools with David Boeri, host of WBUR's Radio Boston. Mayor Menino introduces the forum.

Robert Kennedy and the 1968 Campaign
Part 1 | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
Part 2 | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
March 16, 2008
March 16, 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's announcement to run for President of the United States. Join Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Peter Edelman, Dolores Huerta, Rafer Johnson, Gerard Doherty, William vanden Heuvel, Haynes Johnson, Jules Witcover, Elaine Jones, Michael Sandel, and John Seigenthaler as they share memories of the campaign and reflect on the legacy of RFK. Senator Edward M. Kennedy delivers the closing remarks.

Race, Class and Public Education | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
March 3, 2008
Boston Globe reporter Neil Swidey joins University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor Keith Motley and other educators in a discussion about the plight of our inner-city schools. Swidey's book, The Assist: Hoops, Hope and the Game of Their Lives, examines this issue through the lives of the Charlestown High School basketball team. Bill Littlefield, host of WBUR's Only A Game, moderates.

Freedom for the Thoughts We Hate | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
February 25, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Lewis discusses his new book, Freedom for the Thoughts We Hate, with Harvard Law Professor Martha Minow.

Electing a President | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
February 18, 2008
Madeleine Kunin, the first woman Governor of Vermont and the author of the upcoming Pearls, Politics, & Power: How Women Can Win and Lead; David Yepsen, Political Columnist for The Des Moines Register; and, former Boston Globe columnist Tom Oliphant share their insights about this unprecedented 2008 presidential campaign.

Poet Laureate | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
January 28, 2008
Former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky and new Poet Laureate Charles Simic discussed poetry and read their favorite poems.

Civil Rights Milestone | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
January 21, 2008
On June 11, 1963, two African American students -- James Hood and Vivian Malone -- were barred entry to the University of Alabama by Governor George Wallace. In response, President Kennedy called out the National Guard, Governor Wallace stepped aside, and the President delivered a major civil rights address to the nation. After President Kennedy's speech, the civil rights leader, Medgar Evers, was tragically murdered in his home. James Hood, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Nick Katzenbach, and Ted Sorensen discuss the events of this historic turning point in American history. Callie Crossley moderates.

Madeleine Albright | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
January 14, 2008
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright discusses her new book, Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership with Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye.

American Idealist | Click to listen (RealAudio) | Right-click to download (MP3)
January 13, 2008
Maria Shriver will introduced American Idealist, a new documentary chronicling the accomplishments of her father, R. Sargent Shriver, who started several programs in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, including Peace Corps and Head Start. Following the screening, there was a conversation with the film director, Bruce Orenstein; Shriver's biographer, Scott Stossel; and William Josephson and Edgar May, friends of Sargent Shriver's. This forum was presented in partnership with Facing History and Ourselves.