NDSU’s Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth is set to host author and Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley on Wednesday, Feb. 23. The event is part of activities organized by the Challey Institute to celebrate Black History Month.
The event, titled “Upward Mobility and Race in America,” is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Riley will engage in a virtual discussion with Scott Beaulier, Ronald and Kaye Olson Dean of Business at NDSU. Following their conversation, Riley will answer questions from the audience.
A live audience and reception is set for the Louise S. Barry Auditorium at NDSU’s Richard H. Barry Hall, with hors d’oeuvres and refreshments available. The first 100 attendees will receive a copy of one of Riley’s books, “Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell” or “The Black Boom.” Participants can attend virtually by registering on Zoom at ndsu.edu/challeyinstitute/events
“We are honored to be launching our 2022 Menard Family Distinguished Speaker Series with Jason Riley,” said Beaulier. “Jason offers a thoughtful perspective on issues of race, inequality and education, in addition to his experience as a Black man in America and the media. We are fortunate to bring such an influential thought leader to NDSU as we honor Black History Month.”
Riley is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, where he has published opinion pieces for more than 20 years on topics related to politics, economics, education, immigration, social inequality and race. He is the author of five books, including the 2021 biography “Maverick,” which chronicles the life of public intellectual Thomas Sowell. His most recent book is “The Black Boom,” an assessment of the shrinking black-white gaps in joblessness, income, poverty and other measures prior to the pandemic.
“As the title of his column ‘Upward Mobility’ suggests, Jason Riley is an eminent writer on findings ways to increase economic opportunity and flourishing for everyone. His thoughtful analyses have important implications for policy and relate directly to many of the questions facing our students and society,” said John Bitzan, director of the Challey Institute.
The Challey Institute also will host a free screening of the documentary “Thomas Sowell: Common Sense in a Senseless World,” narrated by Jason Riley, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, in the Anishinaabe Theater at the NDSU Memorial Union. The film traces Sowell’s journey from humble beginnings to the Hoover Institution, becoming one of the era’s greatest economists, political philosophers and prolific authors. The one-hour program features insights from Sowell, who is Black, and interviews with his close friends and associates.
All events are free and open to the public.
The Menard Family Distinguished Speaker Series invites world thought leaders to share their ideas with the NDSU community on big questions that explore ways to improve the human condition and create economic opportunity.
