The Center for the American Experience invites you to join David Greenberg, Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University, and Claire Bond Potter, Emerita Professor of Historical Studies at The New School, for a discussion of Greenberg’s new book, John Lewis: A Life. The book is a sweeping and analytically nuanced biography of one of the most enduring figures of the civil rights movement, situating Lewis as both a moral and political actor whose life reshaped the trajectory of American democracy.
Drawing on extensive archival research and newly available sources, Greenberg traces Lewis’s journey from his youth in rural Alabama and early encounters with racial violence to his leadership in nonviolent protest and his decades in Congress. Attentive to the ethical discipline of nonviolence as well as the internal tensions of movement politics, the book offers a richly layered account of political commitment, illuminating the vision, courage, and persistence that defined Lewis’s lifelong struggle for justice.
Described as “an authoritative and compelling portrait of a defining figure in American public life” by The New York Times, the book underscores the enduring relevance of Lewis’s legacy.
Presented by the Center for the American Experience at The New School
David Greenberg is a historian, biographer, and professor of history and journalism at Rutgers University, whose work focuses on American political history, media, and public life. He is the author of several influential books, including Calvin Coolidge and Republic of Spin, and has written widely for publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker. His scholarship is distinguished by its combination of rigorous archival research and interpretive clarity, bringing historical inquiry into dialogue with contemporary political questions.
Claire Potter is Professor Emerita of History at The New School for Social Research and a scholar of U.S. political history, gender and sexuality, and media and internet studies. Her work bridges academic research and public conversation, with writing in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and other outlets.
The Center for the American Experience at The New School is a faculty-led initiative that brings together design, the performing arts, the social sciences, and the humanities to examine the complex past, present, and future of the United States and its place in the world and in our lives. CAE is dedicated to interdisciplinary scholarship, creative practice, innovative pedagogy, and bold civic engagement.
Guided by the complementary perspectives of a historian and a media sociologist, CAE explores the ideas, histories, myths, cultures, and debates that have shaped American life. At a moment defined by political polarization, challenges to democracy, and profound changes in how information is created, shared, and understood—from social media to artificial intelligence—the Center examines the forces shaping American culture, public life, and democracy. By connecting perspectives across disciplines and communities on campus and beyond, the Center embraces the multiplicity of the American experience.
Building on The New School's longstanding commitment to cultural pluralism—a theory articulated by philosopher Horace Kallen, one of the university's earliest faculty members—CAE brings diverse perspectives into conversation not to sharpen divisions, but to cultivate understanding, discover common ground, and imagine new possibilities.
Through public programs, exhibitions, performances, and collaborative research, CAE convenes scholars, artists, students, and the broader public to explore the American experience and its enduring questions together.
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