As part of the Voices of Democracy series, join New York State Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick as she moderates a free, public conversation with Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Lizz Winstead, founder and chief creative officer of Abortion Access Front, on voter suppression, threats to election integrity, attacks on personal freedom, and how to fight back.  

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Attendees are required to show proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination; a CDC-recommended mask (disposable surgical, KN95, KF94, or N95) is encouraged while indoors.

Deborah Glick has represented Lower Manhattan in the New York State Assembly for more than 30 years. A strong advocate for civil rights, reproductive freedom, animals and environmental preservation, the arts, and tenants’ rights, she was the first openly LGBTQ member of the New York State legislature and was a leader in the fight for marriage equality. Glick’s recent legislative accomplishments include the passage of the Reproductive Health Act, for which she was the lead sponsor; the renewal of the Loft Law, which brings formerly commercial buildings up to residential code and protects current tenants, many of whom are artists, from eviction; and a bill authorizing New York City to expand a life-saving speed safety camera program in school zones. She has championed numerous bills protecting against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender expression and was the primary sponsor of a ban on the harmful practice of conversion therapy. She chairs the assembly’s Committee on Higher Education.

Maya Wiley is a nationally respected civil rights attorney and activist. She currently serves as the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and its sister organization, The Leadership Conference Education Fund. She is a faculty member and the senior vice president for social justice at The New School, where as the Henry Cohen Professor of Public and Urban Policy she founded the Digital Equity Laboratory. Before joining academia, Wiley served as the first Black woman counsel to the mayor of New York City, helping deliver on civil and immigrant rights and expanding minority-and women-owned businesses under the administration of Bill de Blasio. Early in her career, she worked at the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund. She has served as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.

Lizz Winstead is one of the top political satirists working today. As co-creator and head writer of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, she forever changed the way people get their news. In 2004, Winstead co-founded Air America Radio, while also co-hosting “Unfiltered” every morning with Rachel Maddow and Hip Hop legend, Chuck D. Winstead writes satirical commentary for The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and HuffPost. Her talents have been recognized by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Entertainment Weekly’s “100 Most Creative People” issue. Winstead is a prominent abortion rights activist and one of the founders of Abortion Access Front (formerly Lady Parts Justice League), a team of comedians, writers, and producers who use humor to destigmatize abortion and expose anti-choice hypocrisy.

Esteemed voices will gather to discuss key pillars of American democracy currently under threat, and the tools we can employ to protect their vulnerability

The Voices of Democracy series is made possible by The Gardiner Foundation Great Hall Forum