Participate in the important questions of our time. The Forum is a conversation and speaker series that brings people together to explore challenges and opportunities that affect human flourishing through the lens of the humanities and civic imagination.

You’re invited to the October 22, 2025 gathering of The Forum featuring Jelani Cobb.

Peabody Award-winning journalist JELANI COBB is a clear voice in the fight for a better America. The Dean of Columbia Journalism School and PBS Frontline correspondent for two critically acclaimed documentaries, Jelani explores the enormous complexities of our history, politics, and culture, while offering guidance and hope for the future. A long-time writer for The New Yorker, the editor of its anthology collection The Matter of Black Lives, and the author of Three or More Is a Riot, Jelani “combines the rigor and depth of a professional historian with the alertness of a reporter, the liberal passion of an engaged public intellectual, and the literary flair of a fine writer” (Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker).

Connect. Consider. Ignite. Doors open at 6:00 to mix and mingle. The program runs from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM including time for conversation, connections, and Q&A.

The Forum has a three-part structure:

• First third: Participants connect in small break-out groups prompted by a question;

• Middle third: Participants consider a presentation by a guest speaker that ends with a question posed to the audience;

• Final third: Participants discuss the question, igniting new ideas and possibilities.

Event ticket is $20. This is an in-person event with limited seating.

Location: Mint Museum Uptown, 500 S Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202

About The Charlotte Center

The Charlotte Center is a community forum and civic action catalyst that invites curious people into meaningful connection and problem-solving informed by deep consideration of the human experience. Our mission is to help people and communities flourish.

The Charlotte Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. We are supported by individual donors, grants, sponsorships, and revenue from our programs. We invite you to join us.

thecharlottecenter.org