(Boston, MA) Ford Hall Forum presents «One Nation, One Standard: An Ex-Liberal on How Hispanics Can Succeed Just Like Other Immigrant Groups» with Herman Badillo; moderated by Jeff Jacoby. Sunday, April 13, at 6:30-8:00 pm. Followed by an open discussion and book signing. Admission is free and open to all. Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington Street (corner of Milk St.), Boston, MA. Wheelchair accessible and conveniently located near the State St. and Downtown Crossing stops on the MBTA. For more information, call the Ford Hall Forum at 617-557-2007 or visit www.fordhallforum.org.
Since our nation’s founding, those who come here fleeing poverty and persecution abroad have formed a vibrant and important part of American culture. Today, however, America is facing an onslaught of issues surrounding immigration, both legal and illegal. Congressman Herman Badillo, who rose from poverty to become the first Puerto Rican native elected to the U.S. Congress, says his community’s path to prosperity, political unity, and the American mainstream must be through self-reliance.
Does liberal social policy do more harm than good? Does success for immigrant communities lie in the restoration of traditional values? Herman Badillo joins Ford Hall Forum in addressing these questions that impact every American.
Background information:
Herman Badillo was the nation’s first Puerto Rican-born congressman. He also served as the borough president of the Bronx, deputy mayor of New York City, and chairman of the board of the City University of New York. Currently he is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute (www.manhattan-institute.org).
Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for the Boston Globe. Some of his recent columns can be accessed at www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/jeff_jacoby/.
Ford Hall Forum promotes freedom of speech and fosters an informed and effective citizenry through the public presentation of lectures, debates, and discussions. Its events illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers, including some of the most controversial opinion leaders of our times. These speakers are presented in person, for free, and in settings, which facilitate frank and open debate.
The Forum began in 1908 as a series of Sunday evening public meetings held at the Ford Hall, which once stood on Beacon Hill in Boston. While the original building no longer exists, the public conversations have continued throughout the Greater Boston area with the generous support of foundations, corporations, academic institutions, and individuals. An exhibit illustrating this rich history, which was installed in collaboration with Northeastern University, is now on display at the Boston Public Library. As the Forum marks its 100th Anniversary, it is embarking on a new partnership with the Suffolk University College of Arts & Sciences. Suffolk will be housing the Forum’s administrative offices just a block away from where the original Ford Hall once stood.
Since its first public event at the beginning of the 20th century, the Forum has hosted some of the most intriguing figures in our nation’s modern history, including Maya Angelou, Noam Chomsky, Alan Dershowitz, Stephen Jay Gould, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Henry Kissinger, Ayn Rand, Eleanor Roosevelt, Cokie Roberts, and Malcolm X, to name just a few.
Programs of the Ford Hall Forum are made possible through the generous contributions from individual members as well as corporations and foundations, including The Boston Foundation, The Boston Public Library, Boston
