Language & Liberty: Restoring Integrity in Civil Discourse with Alexander Heffner

Thursday, May 7, 2026 | 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

$15.00 | Friedman Family Auditorium

How can citizens, government, technology platforms, and the press build bridges and restore integrity in public policy?

Join historian and journalist Alexander Heffner as he discusses the history and future of American political rhetoric. As an award-winning PBS and Bloomberg TV host and bestselling author of A Documentary History of the United States, Heffner brings unique insights into building civic trust through words and overcoming divisiveness and disinformation in the digital age.

Beginning with a reflection on the Declaration of Independence as a touchstone for shared democratic values, Heffner will then reflect on unique styles of Presidential rhetoric across the last 250 years and will consider the future of civil discourse and democracy amid the second Trump Administration. Learn how our social footprint can translate into constructive deliberation, consensus, and compromise even in an age of domestic and international threats to human rights and geopolitical instability.

The program will be followed by a standing reception and book signing. For questions or concerns regarding accessibility needs, please contact [email protected].