Several weeks ago, Gustavus had the honor of hosting Professor Michael Minta from the Political Science Department of the University of Minnesota! Dr. Minta, who is one of the nation’s leading experts in the study of political representation of African American, Latino, and women interests in the United States, gave a lecture and Q&A about the subject in Wallenberg Auditorium in Nobel Hall. All in all, about fifty participants joined in, both in person and over Zoom.
During his lecture, Dr. Minta explored topics such as Latino voter turnout, representation of Latino interests in the government and in lobbying groups, and the challenges facing modern civil rights organizations. Afterwards, attendees were given the opportunity to ask questions about the presentation or about the topic in general, which produced some really interesting discussions! Some of the questions included topics like generational differences amongst voters and representatives, what steps are necessary to achieve higher diversity in congress, and what qualities are most appealing to voters who hold different beliefs. For those who weren’t able to attend, the key takeaway that Dr. Minta emphasized was a need for more diversity. Increased diversity in Congress allows for greater civil rights advancements and for a wider array of issues and beliefs to be addressed. As a whole, it was a very insightful discussion of an extremely relevant topic! Many thanks to Dr. Minta for visiting and to Sigma Delta Pi, the MLLC department, and the LILACS department for sponsoring the event!
For those who wish to view a recording of the event, you can use the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pHDAYlqeY7oWgfiaNxeodPwWjb_xywkB/view?usp=sharing