GCSU hosted In Defense of Democracy week with hopes of sharing broad opinions and educating students and staff through historians, political scientists and sociologists. The week started on Monday, Sep. 30, and ended Friday, Oct. 4.
The events are all part of a larger organization and are supported by The Center for Georgia Studies and the Rural Studies Institute.
The five events of the week were been planned by Stephanie McClure, a sociology professor at GCSU.
“The value of a liberal arts education is to think deeply and three-dimensionally, to be broadly trained and to be a decent human being,” McClure said.
The first event, “Frontline Defenders,” on Monday, Sep. 30, was held in the Peabody Auditorium at 6 p.m. Professor Claire Sanders hosted the event and what was discussed was the polarity of the political world today, local politicians and their part in the community, and how a voter should educate themselves, fairly.
The second event, “The Threat of Disinformation,” was held on Tuesday, Oct. 1 in the Pat Peterson Museum Education Room at Heritage Hall.
“There is no way that any person, any team of people could uncover the amount of disinformation that there is,” said Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer in the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State.Sterling spoke about how misinformation was being spread by both political parties and offered advice on how to combat it.
Sterling recommends speaking and listening to people on both sides and taking a critical analysis of the parties while using the values that a person already has. A large goal of this event was to educate future voters and help them navigate politics in a world dominated by such polarity.
“It was really nice hearing a republican talk about both sides,” said Olivia Crawford, a sophomore liberal studies major.
Olivia was appreciative of Sterling’s catering to both sides despite the separation caused by politics
The third event, “Times Talk: Democracy on the Brink? A Global Update,” was held in room 241 in the library at 12 p.m. Professor Elliot Gower, an associate professor of political science, spoke on why 2024 is the biggest year for large democracies.
The fourth event, “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power,” was held on Thursday, Oct. 3 in the Peabody Auditorium at 6 p.m. Professor McClure, a sociology professor and Professor Mark Huddle, a history professor at GCSU co-hosted the event.
The event spoke on the story of how a Black majority in Lowndes County had zero voters at one point. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee helped inspire Black power in the community.
The fifth and final event, “How do we Respond Today?” occurred at Allen’s Market on Oct. 4 at noon.Hosted by Veronica Womack, this final event aimed to reflect on the week’s past discussions and summarize suggestions for future actions for citizens and potential voters.
This week highlighted the ways democracy benefits multiple different communities and helped to inform students and staff of the current political climate.
