Image via Honors Program

By: Bradley Morrison, Staff Writer

Morehouse College Howard Thurman Honors Program will host political strategist Dr. Basil Smikle Jr. in an empowerment lecture today (April 5) at 1 p.m. in Sale Hall Chapel. The theme of the lecture, “Rescuing the Great Democracy in Peril,” will address pressing issues affecting the 2024 election and American democracy.

Smikle’s discussion will focus on several key topics:

• The recent restrictive legislation regarding voting that was passed in Georgia.
• Efforts to remove individuals from voter rolls.
• The failure to enact meaningful federal legislation to strengthen the Voting Rights Act.
• The significance of the upcoming 2024 election.
• The importance of effective agency and activism in preserving democracy, particularly in the face of voter suppression attempts.

Chemistry Professor Lance Shipman Young, advisor to the honors program, emphasized the urgency of the lecture in light of current threats to democracy in America. 

“Never in my lifetime has American democracy struggled against the threat of authoritarianism,” he said. “It is critically important to hear voices like Dr. Smikle to undergird the need for us to take back the reins and ensure that elections remain free and fair, and take the steps that will help our democracy survive.”

Copy edited by: Ron Thomas, MT advisor