Civil Rights in the US: The World is Watching

A Wide Ranging Conversation with
Thomas E. Wheeler, II
Former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
United States Department of Justice

Thursday, October 26, 2017
5:30-7 p.m. – Reception & Dinner
7:00-8:30 p.m. – Presentation and Discussion

Schiff Conference Center
Cintas Center at Xavier University

Conflicts over civil rights in the United States are front page issues almost every day and discussed by politicians and pundits alike. Receiving less attention, but of significant interest nonetheless is the impact these conflicts have in the United States’ interests overseas. Former Assistant Attorney General Wheeler will address these issues and offer his analysis of the future of civil rights enforcement in the Trump Administration.

Former Assistant Attorney General, Mr. Tom Wheeler is a member of Frost Brown Todd and oversaw the Civil Rights Division during the transition from the Obama administration to the Trump Administration. During that time, he made hate crimes a priority and oversaw some of the Nation’s most difficult legal matters. These included criminal matters like the investigation and prosecution of Michael Kadar in the JCC bomb threats case, the prosecution of Adam Purinton for the Kansas City shooting of two Indian men whom he believed to be Muslim, and the death penalty phase of the Dylan Roof Charleston church shooting case that left nine African-American parishioners dead.

He also oversaw the investigation and resolution of police cases in the deaths of Alton Sterling, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, and Eric Garner. Tom also directed all of the Department of Justice’s civil rights litigation in the areas of employment, housing, education, disability rights, and voting. Prior to joining the Justice Department, he was counsel to then Indiana Governor and now Vice-President Mike Pence.

Event sponsored by:

The Middle East – A Diplomat’s View

A Wide Ranging Conversation with
Ambassador Dani Dayan
Consul General of Israel in New York

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Schiff Conference Center
Cintas Center at Xavier University

Dani DayanWe have seen critical shifts in the Middle East, from Western rapprochement with Iran, to the rise of ISIS, and the increasingly complex question of Syria. This dynamic has prompted some of Israel’s neighbors to open important channels on strategic issues. Ambassador Dani Dayan will speak to the opportunities of these circumstances and offer his analysis on future security challenges.

Consul General Dani Dayan represents Israel in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Delaware. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he is the first Hispanic Consul General of Israel in New York. Ambassador Dayan has a long reputation as an Israeli public figure, lecturer and entrepreneur enjoying wide support and appreciation from all sides of the Israeli political spectrum.

Event Sponsored by:

Jewish Community Relations Council American Jewish Council

Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy

Monday, June 26, 2017
5:30-6:15 p.m. – Reception
6:15 p.m. Dinner 7:00-8:30 p.m. Presentation and Discussion

Schiff Conference Center, Cintas Center at Xavier University

Join us for a lively discussion about Iran, its relationship with the West, and how the fate of the Iranian nuclear deal might impact U.S. relations with our European partners in the Joint Comprensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Trita ParsiTrita Parsi is the founder and president of the National Iranian American Council and an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign politics, and the geopolitics of the Middle East.

His two previous books on U.S. Iran relations Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States (Yale University Press 2007) and A Single Roll of the Dice – Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran (Yale University Press 2012) have been widely praised for their scholarship and insight. His latest book – Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy (Yale University Press, 2017) – reveals the behind the scenes story to the historic nuclear deal with Iran. Copies of the new book will be available for sale and the author will sign copies after his presentation.

Parsi was born in Iran but moved with his family at the age of four to Sweden in order to escape political repression in Iran. His father was an outspoken academic who was jailed by the Shah and then by the Ayatollah. He moved to the United States as an adult and studied foreign policy at Johns Hopkins’ School for Advanced International Studies where he received his Ph.D. He founded NIAC to provide a non-partisan, non-profit organization through which Iranian-Americans could participate in American civic life. NIAC is a vocal proponent of dialogue and engagement between the US and Iran.

Event sponsored by:

Xavier University - Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue

World Affairs Council

 

CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections

Dr. Henry A. Kissinger and Dr. Tom Gold
China on the Road to Rejuvenation: Challenges to the U.S.

Tuesday, October 18 – 6:30 Doors open / 7-9 p.m.
Kennedy Auditorium, Conaton Learning Commons
Xavier University

Dr. Henry A. Kissinger

Dr. Henry A. Kissinger

China’s emergence as a global player and potential partner with the U.S. ensures that the Sino-American relationship will directly impact the lives of us all. To help us understand this complex relationship, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations will conduct the 10th annual CHINA Town Hall, a national day of programming on China involving about 70 cities throughout the United States. We will participate in a live webcast discussion from 7-8 p.m. with former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, moderated by National Committee President Stephen Orlins.

At 8 p.m., Dr. Thomas B. Gold will be with us in person. A 1966 Walnut Hills graduate, Dr. Gold is professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Thomas Gold

Dr. Thomas Gold

He began his study of Chinese at Oberlin College and received his M.A. and PhD from Harvard. He was part of the first group of government-sponsored American exchange students to go to China, studying at Fudan University from 1979-80. Subjects of his publications range widely, including youth, guanxi (关系), popular culture, private business, microfinance, laid-off (下岗) workers, civil society, social change in Taiwan, and cross-Strait relations. He serves on the board of the Asia Society/Northern California and has served on the board of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. In 2012 he returned to Fudan to teach in the University of California Education Abroad Program. Dr. Gold will discuss China’s “Road to Rejuvenation” and how it presents challenges to the U.S., as well as opportunities.

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