Dole Institute to livestream ‘A Conversation on Race’ special event

LAWRENCE — The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas has announced that it will livestream a special event at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 16. “A Conversation on Race” will be hosted by Barbara Ballard, senior associate director of the institute, and will feature Roosevelt “Rose” Barfield and Cherylyn Harley LeBon.  

“The justifiable outrage over the death of Mr. George Floyd has spread across the United States and beyond,” said Director Bill Lacy. “As thousands of people take to the streets demanding racial justice, the need for civil and thoughtful discourse has scarcely been more acutely felt in the history of our country. The Dole Institute’s mission is to provide the forum for exactly this kind of important and uncomfortable conversation.”

This program will be the first in an ongoing series on race-related issues with additional installments to be announced at a later date. Ballard, who has served in the Kansas Legislature since 1993, will welcome Barfield and LeBon back to the institute, as both were Dole Fellows in the past.

Barfield served in the U.S. Army for 32 years, retiring from active duty in 2009 as a brigadier general. He served as a military legislative assistant to the U.S. Senate from 2008 to 2009. He was the guest speaker for the Dole Institute Student Advisory Board program in fall 2010 and was the Spring 2013 Dole Fellow. He is currently the chairman of the board of directors at the Consilium Group and a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.

LeBon was the assistant administrator for intergovernmental affairs for the George W. Bush administration, working with the White House, governors, and local and state officials to coordinate disaster relief, economic development and financial assistance. She also served as senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. She was the fall 2017 Dole Fellow and is currently a partner with the law firm Dunlap, Bennett & Ludwig.

This special program will be live-streamed to the institute’s YouTube channel and to its website. Due to continuing concerns regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic, the program will only be available online. Follow the Dole Institute on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates regarding this and future programming.   

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to promoting political and civic participation as well as civil discourse in a bipartisan, philosophically balanced manner. It is located in KU’s West District and houses the Dole Archive and Special Collections. Through its robust public programming, congressional archive and museum, the Dole Institute strives to celebrate public service and the legacies of U.S. Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole.