April 8, 2024

SVSU to Host Lecture on Civility and Listening to Political Views

At a time when the political divide in America seems wider than ever, Saginaw Valley State University invites the public for a discussion on bringing civility back to politics and listening to other viewpoints.

Acclaimed journalists Nolan Finley, editorial page editor of The Detroit News, and Stephen Henderson, public media host and founder of BridgeDetroit, will present a Civility Project session on Thursday, April 18, from 7-8 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall at SVSU.

This event is made possible by the Velasquez Lecture on Liberty and Free Markets. It is free and open to the public.

In their discussion, Finley and Henderson will discuss the role of civil political discourse in American democracy and why it is vital that we bring it back.

Longtime friends with vastly different viewpoints, Finley and Henderson celebrate their differences and engage in respectful discussion. The Civility Project helps people learn how to have constructive conversations, even when they don’t agree.

In his long career with The Detroit News, Finley has filled the roles of copy boy, reporter, city editor, business editor, politics editor and deputy managing editor in addition to editorial page editor. Finley is a contributor to the shows “MiWeek” and “One Detroit” on Detroit Public Television (DPTV).

In 2012, Finley was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.

Henderson is a Detroit native and has been writing and commenting on the area for years. Along with hosting “Detroit Today” on Detroit Public Radio, Henderson is the host of the “American Black Journal” from DPTV. He also contributes to the station’s “MiWeek” and “One Detroit” programs.

Henderson has previously written and edited for the Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun.

In 2014, Henderson received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary and the National Association of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year award for his work with the Detroit Free Press.

The Velasquez Lecture on Liberty and Free Markets, established by Christian and Jenée Velasquez, is designed to highlight and educate on the fundamental idea that the United States form of government is based on the idea of individual liberty, with its success tied to a financial system of free markets. As free speech is critical to the protection of our freedoms and the functioning of free markets, it is also important to put emphasis on the role of civility and ethics in politics, business and public policy.