UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s spring speaker series will feature some of the leading political voices from Gen Z and a commemoration of 30 years of democracy in South Africa.
The Institute will welcome V Spehar of Under the Desk News, Jan. 6 whistleblower Cassidy Hutchinson, March for Our Lives founder David Hogg, and South African writer and scholar Antjie Krog.
Spehar’s Under the Desk News has more than 3 million followers on TikTok and is a leading source of political news and information on the platform. Spehar also is the host of the podcast "V Interesting" and has worked with former President Barack Obama and more than a dozen members of Congress. Spehar will speak at 4 p.m. Feb. 7 in the HUB Flex Theatre.
Hutchinson, an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, is best known for her testimony during the Jan. 6 committee hearings about what happened inside Donald Trump’s inner circle that day. Her memoir, “Enough” was released in September. In the book, she reveals the struggle between the pressures she confronted to toe the party line and the demands of the oath she swore to defend American democracy. Hutchinson will speak at 4 p.m. March 14 in the HUB’s Freeman Auditorium.
Hogg is a survivor of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Following the shooting, he was one of several Parkland students to start the March for Our Lives movement to reduce gun violence. He graduated from Harvard in 2023 and is the founder of Leaders We Deserve PAC. Hogg will speak at 7 p.m. April 1 in HUB Alumni Hall.
Antjie Krog, a South African writer, scholar and activist, will present the keynote lecture in a semester-long series marking the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first elections that were open to all citizens in 1994. Krog covered the post-Apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission and wrote the book “Country of My Skull” about her reflections on the process and the possibility for true reconciliation in South Africa. She is currently a faculty member at the University of the Western Cape. Her lecture will be April 11 at a location to be announced later this semester.
In addition to these events, the McCourtney Institute is a co-sponsor for several lectures organized by other units in the College of the Liberal Arts:
- Cynthia Miller-Idriss, award-winning author and scholar of extremism and radicalization: Jan. 23, 5 p.m., Foster Auditorium (102 Paterno Library). Presented by the Sawyer Seminar.
- Srdja Popovic, founder and executive director of Serbia's Center for Applied Nonviolent Actions and Strategies: Feb. 8, 4:30 p.m., Sutliff Auditorium, Lewis Katz Building. Presented by the Center for Global Studies.
- Heather McGhee, New York Times bestselling author and policy advocate: March 28, 7 p.m., HUB Freeman Auditorium. Presented by the Rock Ethics Institute.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit democracy.psu.edu/events.