This year’s Annual Gala will be the first of its kind. We’ve taken our usual one-night celebration and spread it out over every Thursday evening in October!
Starting on October 1, we’re bringing you a series of fascinating conversations on social justice issues.
- October 1: Jeffrey Toobin, CNN Analyst. Could there be a more timely moment to talk to Jeffrey Toobin? This wide-ranging chat will touch on potential challenges to the November election results, the Supreme Court vacancy, ongoing investigations into the current administration and how the justice system is tied to social justice movements.
- October 8: Arva Rice, President and CEO, New York Urban League. We’ll discuss this summer of historic Black Lives Matter protests, how people can become engaged in the fight against racism and other kinds of prejudice, and how to move forward from this moment to achieve real justice in America. We’ll also examine how COVID is reshaping cities and their neighborhoods.
- October 15: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. We’re talking all things Manhattan with this longtime public servant. How can the borough bounce back from COVID, and what will Manhattan look like in five years? How can we fill empty storefronts with local businesses and arrive at lasting solutions to homelessness? We’ll also explore just what a borough president does, and how her personal journey brought her to this office.
- October 22: Dr. Irwin Redlener, Director, Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative at Columbia University. When will we get a COVID vaccine—and how will we know if it’s real? We’ll ask one of the nation’s top pandemic experts for his thoughts on that, and talk about the inequalities the epidemic laid bare and the lessons we should take from it as a nation. Which governments excelled at COVID response, and which fell short? We’ll also get his assessment of COVID’s lasting impact on specific populations, from children in poverty to health care providers.
- October 29: This will be our traditional Gala night—but online! We’ll celebrate our community and announce the winners of our Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice, as well as the new Goddard Riverside CBC Book Prize for Social Justice.