Hauenstein Center will host expert to discuss equality and the Declaration of Independence

The concept that "all men are created equal" is a concept that has been enshrined in the American political spirit since it was included in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. 

But do Americans fully understand the language and context of the Declaration, especially when it comes to equality? Grand Valley State University's Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies will host political philosopher and director of Harvard University's Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics, Danielle Allen, to discuss the topic.

Danielle Allen: Equality in the American Experience

November 6, 7 p.m.

DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium, 401 Fulton St West, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

All forums are free and open to the public. Reservations for forums are strongly recommended at gvsu.edu/hc/events. They guarantee a seat in the building but not in the main hall. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors to the main hall open approximately a half-hour before the program begins.

Allen's discussion will focus on equality for all people as the United States shifts toward a majority-minority population in the coming decades.

She will offer a thought-provoking and challenging lecture on the Declaration's wording and offer her insight into the role equality plays in the American experience. 

Allen is the author of Our Declaration and is a winner of the Francis Parkman Prize. This event is presented in partnership with Grand Valley's Koeze Business Ethics Initiative, the Seidman College of Business and several university departments, including political science, history, classics and philosophy, with additional support from the university's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Provost and the Division of Inclusion and Equity.

For more information, visit gvsu.edu/hc/events