Talks
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR In conjunction with its exhibit “New York Divided: Slavery and the Civil War,” the New-York Historical Society presents a panel discussion on the Dred Scott Supreme Court case that influenced the beginning of the Civil War. Panelists include the author of “Two Men Before the Storm” (Greenleaf), Gregory Wallance, and a professor of English literature at the University of Maryland, Carla Peterson. Tonight, 6:30 p.m., New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, $15 general, $10 students, teachers, and seniors, $8 members.
LEAVING HOME The Barnard Forum on Migration presents “From Immigrants to Ethnics: Identity, Citizenship, and Political Participation,” a lecture on the modern experience of immigrating, and how this experience has changed from generations past. A professor of sociology at Princeton University, Alejandro Portes, is the featured speaker. Tonight, 7 p.m., Barnard College, Barnard Hall, Sulzberger Parlor, 3rd floor, 117th Street and Broadway, 212-854-6146, free.
ROOSEVELT: WAR PRESIDENT “FDR’s Legacy” is the topic of the Beir Lecture at the 92nd Street Y, a discussion of the 32nd president’s place in American history and his response to the Holocaust. A Roosevelt historian, Robert Beir, and the managing editor of Newsweek magazine, Jon Meacham, are featured panelists. The host of the eponymous talk radio show on WNYC, Leonard Lopate, is moderator of the talk. Tonight, 8 p.m., 92nd Street Y, Kaufmann Concert Hall, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $25.
UNCLE TOM’S IMPACT The New York Public Library and the Studio Museum in Harlem present “Uncle Tom’s Cabin Reconsidered,” a conversation about the literary merits of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel and its impact on the course of American history. Featured panelists include an editor of a newly published annotated edition of Ms. Stowe’s 1852 work, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and a cultural critic, Margo Jefferson. The director and chief curator of the Studio Museum, Thelma Golden, is moderator of the talk. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., NYPL, South Court Auditorium, Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, 212-868-4444, $15 general, $10 library donors, students, and seniors.
IN THE BEDROOM Makor presents “Ask the Sexperts,” a conversation with a pair of columnists for New York magazine, Em and Lo, who answer the more embarrassing questions and offer sound advice for young women. Thursday, 7 p.m., 92nd Street Y, Makor, Steinhardt Building, 35 W. 67th St., between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, 212-601-1000, $12–$15.
TO INCARCERATE OR NOT “Punishment: The U.S. Record: A Social Research Conference” is a two-day symposium sponsored by the New School and the Social Research journal. The conference is designed to provoke conversations about the foundations of American punishment, the effects of current punishment practices, and alternatives to incarceration. Events include a reading by actors Richard Gere and Carey Lowell, and a panel on law, justice, and punishment, featuring a professor at the New York University School of Law, David Garland, and a professor at Yale Law School, John Donahue. Thursday and Friday, Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., the New School, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-229-5776, ext. 3121, $50 for conference, $12 for individual sessions.