© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Westminster College to Host Annual Symposium

Phil Roeder
/
Flickr

Westminster College will host its 12th annual Hancock Symposium this week. This year’s theme is “Advocacy and Activism: Leading from Where You Are.”

The symposium will be hosting a diverse group of speakers ranging from an expert in terrorism, to a Native American activist, to the founder of the first coding school for girls in Afghanistan, according to a press release.

Dr. Leah Gunning Francis will be speaking about her book “Ferguson and Faith: Sparking Leadership and Awakening a Community.” She describes her experience in Ferguson and interviews a dozen clergy members who were actively involved in the movement for racial equality.

“This isn’t just a historical account of what happened to some of the clergy in Ferguson, but rather it’s an opportunity for you to learn from these stories—to hear the ways in which they engage this work and think about that in light of your own context,” Francis said.

Director of Media and Public Relation Rob Crouse says the college and community are thrilled to be hosting such an impressive lineup of speakers.

“Every year is just a powerhouse of speakers, and everybody comes together, faculty, staff, students, and people from the general public, and they come out of these two days with experiences that they would never have otherwise.”

This year’s Green Foundation speaker will be U.S. Senator and 2016 Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders.

The public is encouraged to come listen to all the speakers and sessions. All events are open with the exception of Sander’s presentation which is by ticket only.