Osita Nwanevu: "The Right of the People"

Schedule

Tue Oct 07 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Enoch Pratt Free Library | Baltimore, MD

Advertisement
Join us for an evening with columnist Osita Nwanevu.
About this Event

Frustrated with our political dysfunction, wearied by the thinness of contemporary political discourse, and troubled by the rise of anti-democratic attitudes across the political spectrum, journalist Osita Nwanevu has spent the Trump era examining the very meaning of democracy in search of answers to questions many have asked in the wake of the 2024 election: Are our institutions fundamentally broken? How can a country so divided govern itself? Does democracy even work as well as we believe?


The Right of the People offers us challenging answers: while democracy remains vital, American democracy is an illusion we must make real by transforming not only our political institutions but the American economy. In a text that spans democratic theory, the American Founding, our aging political system, and the dizzying inequalities of our new Gilded Age, Nwanevu makes a visionary case for a political and economic agenda to fulfill the promise of American democracy and revive faith in the American project.


“Nearly two hundred fifty years ago, the men who founded America made a fundamental break not just from their old country but from the past—casting off an order that had subjugated them with worn and weak ideas for the promise of true self-governance and greater prosperity in a new republic,” Nwanevu writes. “With exactly their sense of purpose and even higher, more righteous ambitions for America than they themselves had, we should do the same now⁠—work as hard as we can in the decades ahead to ‘institute new Government’ for the benefit of all and not just the few.”


Osita Nwanevu will be joined in conversation by New York Times Opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie.


About the Author:

Osita Nwanevu is a contributing editor for The New Republic and a columnist for The Guardian, writing about American politics and culture.


About the Moderator:

Jamelle Bouie is a columnist for the New York Times Opinion section.


About the Program:

  • Doors will open to registered attendees at 6 pm.
  • A local bookseller will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
  • Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street) after 4pm. Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.
  • There is no registration required for virtual attendance, simply visit the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Facebook or Youtube page.
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 0.00

Enoch Pratt Free Library

Host or Publisher Enoch Pratt Free Library

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in Baltimore

Let's Talk about Drug Legalization
Tue, 07 Oct at 06:00 pm Let's Talk about Drug Legalization

Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse

BUSINESS HEALTH-WELLNESS
Petals & Paws
Tue, 07 Oct at 06:00 pm Petals & Paws

Raw & Refined

WORKSHOPS ART
Gilmore Girls Flower Workshop + Trivia at Pitango
Tue, 07 Oct at 06:30 pm Gilmore Girls Flower Workshop + Trivia at Pitango

Pitango: 903 S Ann St, Baltimore, MD 21231-3436, United States

WORKSHOPS
Reiki Acupuncture Sound Bath *with Hot Apple Cider *
Tue, 07 Oct at 06:30 pm Reiki Acupuncture Sound Bath *with Hot Apple Cider *

1025 S Potomac St

HEALTH-WELLNESS
Spiritual Portals Book Launch Party
Tue, 07 Oct at 07:30 pm Spiritual Portals Book Launch Party

Hope Center

PARTIES ENTERTAINMENT
Warren Wolf Monthly Series ft. Curtis Lundy and Eric Kennedy
Tue, 07 Oct at 08:00 pm Warren Wolf Monthly Series ft. Curtis Lundy and Eric Kennedy

An die Musik

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
Jazz Tuesdays featuring Craig Alston & Friends
Tue, 07 Oct at 08:00 pm Jazz Tuesdays featuring Craig Alston & Friends

Next Phaze Cafe

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
House of Harm
Tue, 07 Oct at 11:00 pm House of Harm

Metro Gallery

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Jens Ludwig: "Unforgiving Places"
Tue, 30 Sep at 07:00 pm Jens Ludwig: "Unforgiving Places"

Enoch Pratt Free Library

ART LITERARY-ART
Osita Nwanevu: "The Right of the People"
Tue, 07 Oct at 07:00 pm Osita Nwanevu: "The Right of the People"

Enoch Pratt Free Library

ART LITERARY-ART
Jelani Cobb: "Three or More is a Riot"
Tue, 04 Nov at 07:00 pm Jelani Cobb: "Three or More is a Riot"

Enoch Pratt Free Library

ART LITERARY-ART

What's Happening Next in Baltimore?

Discover Baltimore Events