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Why Thomas Sowell Matters is the Topic of UHart’s 2022 Deeds Symposium on April 5

Jason Riley
Jason Riley
Presented by The Wall Street Journal Columnist and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Jason Riley

 “Why Thomas Sowell Matters” is the topic of the University of Hartford College of Arts and Sciences’ 2022 Deeds Symposium, Tuesday, April 5, at 5:30 p.m. The annual free lecture on free-market principles will be given by The Wall Street Journal Columnist and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Jason Riley. 

The topic will focus on the scholarship of the Black free-market economist and why his writings—on everything from school choice and affirmative action to economic inequality and social justice—continue to be relevant to our policy discussions today.

Riley joined The Wall Street Journal in 1994, where he has written about politics, economics, education, immigration, and social inequality for more than 25 years. He served as a senior editorial page writer in 2000 and a member of the Editorial Board in 2005. He joined the Manhattan Institute, a public policy think tank focused on urban affairs, in 2015. He is also a frequent public speaker and provides commentary for television and radio news outlets.

Riley is the author of five books: Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders (2008); Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed (2014); False Black Power? (2017); Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell (2021); and The Black Boom (2022).

Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Riley earned a bachelor's degree in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has also worked for USA Today and The Buffalo News. He lives in suburban New York City.

The lecture will take place in Wilde Auditorium located in the Harry Jack Gray Center on the University of Hartford campus, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, Conn., and will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person. The program is free and open to the public, however online registration is encouraged by April 1 at hartford.edu/deedslecture.

COVID-19 safety protocols require all visitors to campus provide proof of vaccination at the door. A vaccine card is preferable, but if not possible, a photo of the card is acceptable. All visitors are also required to wear three-ply disposable, KN95, or N95 masks.   

The Deeds Symposium was established at the University of Hartford in 1982 to provide a forum for discussion of free-market principles. Program speakers are internationally known participants in the continuing discussion of free enterprise and government.

For more information about the program, contact the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office at AandSDean@hartford.edu.  

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