Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senator 2007-2018, will deliver the Weil Lecture on American Citizenship at UNC
October 1, 2021 | Kristen Chavez
The Institute for the Arts and Humanities announces Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senator 2007-2018, will deliver the 2021 Weil Lecture on American Citizenship on Monday, October 25 at 5:30 p.m. EDT in a virtual event.
McCaskill was first scheduled as the speaker for the Weil Lecture in March 2020, which was postponed because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 lecture will stream to guests online live from Hill Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill. After McCaskill’s remarks, there will be a Q&A session with questions submitted by the online audience.
“From her town halls in rural Missouri to her time serving at the national level, Senator McCaskill has proven herself to be a deep listener and champion for women,” said IAH Director Patricia Parker.
“Listening is key for leadership in a democracy, to which McCaskill has continued to dedicate her life,” said Parker. “We’re excited to finally welcome her to campus and share her experiences with the Carolina community, both near and far.”
McCaskill has spent her career as a prosecutor and elected official devoted to public service and earned a reputation in the U.S. Senate as a plain-spoken, independent and effective champion for Missourians and all Americans.
Born and raised in the Show-Me State, McCaskill attended college and law school at the University of Missouri and began her career as an assistant prosecutor in Kansas City, specializing in prosecuting arsons and sex crimes. She was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives and made history when she became the first woman elected Jackson County prosecutor, where she launched one of the nation’s first drug courts and established a first-of-its-kind domestic violence unit.
In 2006, she became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri and was re-elected in 2012.
Always one to seek out the concerns of her constituents, she was known as the “town hall Senator,” after holding more than 50 town halls in one year in every corner of rural Missouri.
Today, McCaskill lives in St. Louis with her husband and their blended family of seven children and twelve grandchildren. She is an analyst at NBC News and MSNBC.
The Weil Lecture on American Citizenship is a biennial series sponsored by the Weil family since 1915. The first lecture was by former president William H. Taft after he finished his term but before he served on the U.S. Supreme Court. Other notable lecturers include Jim Huntsman, Jimmy Carter and Eleanor Roosevelt.
The Institute for the Arts and Humanities has hosted the Weil Lecture since 2002.
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