Join us for a conversation with award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi as we delve into the themes of his latest book Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age. Dr. Kendi will be joined in conversation by Shawn Leigh Alexander, Professor and Chair of the Department of African & African-American Studies and Chairperson of the Department of American Studies at the University of Kansas. This discussion will center on the ideas of the book, including the rise of conspiracy theories and their connection to authoritarianism and the erosion of democracy in the United States.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi has authored several books, including the National Book Award-winning Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. Dr. Kendi is a renowned historian and antiracist scholar as well as the Carter G. Woodson Endowed Chair in History, Professor of History, and the inaugural director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study.

Please register to save a spot for this free event held at the Lawrence Arts Center. Doors will open at 6:30, and the Raven Book Store will sell copies of Chain of Ideas. Dr. Kendi will sign books after the talk until 9:00pm. This event is co-sponsored by the African and African-American Studies Department at KU.

If you’d like to submit a question for Dr.Kendi, please email Terese: twinters@lplks.org. We will select a few for Dr. Kendi to respond to following the conversation, as time allows.