The Ethics of Now with Rev. Dr. William Barber II

On the heels of the general election, join host Adriane Lentz-Smith for a conversation with the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II about countering the politics of rage with a moral policy that prioritizes love, truth, and strategically reaching for higher ground.

The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II is among the nation's most significant moral and political leaders. Rooted in North Carolina, his advocacy has mobilized a fusion movement that calls upon a moral and faith-based ethics to unite people. Reverend Barber contends that it is multi-issue and multi-identity movements, based on shared values, that have most successfully furthered justice in the past - and can do so again.

The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II organized the Forward Together Moral Movement in North Carolina, which began in 2013 as a series of Moral Monday rallies at the statehouse in Raleigh to fight against immoral policies on labor rights, voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare, criminal justice, and other laws that negatively impacted poor and marginalized communities in the state. In 2015, he founded Repairers of the Breach to support and extend the movement as it grew nationally. In 2018, he and colleagues launched a revival of the 1968 Poor People's Campaign that was originally led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with others.

The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II served as President of the North Carolina NAACP from 2006 - 2017 and on the National NAACP Board of Directors from 2008 - 2020. In 2018, he was named a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow. He was one of the 2019 recipients of the North Carolina Award, the state's highest civilian honor. He has been Senior Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Goldsboro for the past thirty years. He is Professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and Founding Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School.

This event takes place at the Hayti Heritage Center. Copies of "White Poverty" will be available for purchase, courtesy of the Regulator Bookshop. A book signing and reception will follow the event.

Parking is available on the premises, at Phoenix Square, Heritage Square Shopping Center, and on adjacent streets. An accessible entrance to the premises is available from the parking lot. Please write to event coordinator, Jac Arnade-Colwill, at jac.arnade-colwill@duke.edu if you require accessible parking and entrance. This event is first come, first seated.