Fairfield University’s Open Visions Forum and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Common Ground Series unite two powerhouse political commentators for an unscripted overview of the most important issues of the November 2020 election.
Encouraging our community to be part of the process, to have civic dialogue, to get out and vote is what makes this forum so vital in today’s political environment.
— Assistant Professor of Politics Gayle Alberda, PhD
On Tuesday, October 6 at 8 p.m., Fairfield University will present “Decision 2020: A Presidential Election Conversation,” led by CNN’s Ana Navarro and PBS NewsHour’s Yamiche Alcindor. With less than a month before the 2020 election on November 3, their lively conversation will center on key issues that will most affect the vote for president.
Fairfield’s Open VISIONS Forum has teamed up with the College of Arts and Sciences’ Common Ground Series to make this lecture possible. “In a time when as a society we seem to have lost our ability to hold a civil discussion and dialogue on important issues,” said Richard Greenwald, PhD, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, “the Common Ground Series seeks to bring together speakers who offer opposing viewpoints to model civil discourse. As we approach the 2020 presidential election, we are pleased to join Ana Navarro and Yamiche Alcindor in dialogue about the issues that we are facing as a nation.”
Yamiche Alcindor became White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour in January 2018 and this year was presented the Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage by the White House Correspondents’ Association. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and was named the organization’s "Emerging Journalist of the Year" in 2013.
Alcindor is also a frequent contributor for NBC News and MSNBC, and previously worked as a national political reporter for The New York Times. She earned her master's degree in broadcast news and documentary filmmaking from New York University and her BA in English, government, and African American studies from Georgetown University. A native of Miami, Fla., Alcindor is the daughter of Haitian immigrants who met while attending Boston College.
Republican strategist Ana Navarro is a political analyst for CNN, CNN en Español, and Telemundo. She served as an advisor to John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and to John Huntsman in 2012. Navarro has also been a Harvard University fellow and a special advisor to the government of Nicaragua. She is a frequent contributor to Meet the Press, Bill Maher’s Real Time, Anderson Cooper 360, and The View.
Navarro holds a juris doctorate from Florida’s St. Thomas University School of Law and received her BA in Latin American studies and political science from the University of Miami in 1993. She was born in Nicaragua and at the age of eight immigrated with her family to the United States, as a result of the Sandinista revolution.
Gayle Alberda, PhD, assistant professor of politics, looks forward to welcoming Alcindor and Navarro into the University’s pre-election conversation. She said, “We know that young voters have lower voting rates than older voters. Having two women who are powerhouses on campus discussing the 2020 election can inspire students to get involved and vote — many for the first time.”
Fairfield community members are encouraged to check their voting status today on vote.org or to visit whenweallvote.org for state-by-state information on how to register and vote in the coming election. “Encouraging our community to be part of the process, to have civic dialogue, and to get out and vote is what makes this forum so vital in today’s political environment,” said Dr. Alberda.
“Decision 2020: A Presidential Election Conversation” with Ana Navarro and Yamiche Alcindor is a premier Quick Center event and will take place in virtual format on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available at quickcenter.com. As with all Open VISIONS Forum lectures, Fairfield University students, faculty, and staff enjoy free access by reserving their tickets at quickcenter.com. The Quick Center is pleased to announce that the event will be screened live for a campus audience, outside the Barone Campus Center at 8 p.m.
This lecture and seven upcoming premier Quick events are also free for President’s Circle, Bellarmine Society, and Quick Center Members. Members also receive exclusive access to live chats with premier event speakers and artists, among other benefits. To become a Quick Center Member today, visit quickcenter.com. or call the box office at 203-254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.
