January Series Simulcast Hosted at Cedar Hill Church

The 2019 edition of Calvin College’s award-winning January Series features a New York Times best-selling author, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and a costume designer whose been nominated for multiple Oscars and Emmys. The series also welcomes a former president of Ireland, an astronaut, and the whistle blower in the Larry Nassar case.

The series runs from January 3-23 (12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST) Monday through Friday in the Covenant Fine Arts Center on Calvin’s campus. The series will be simulcast locally at Cedar Hill Church in Wyckoff, NJ, one of the remote locations throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Attendees will learn from a wide range of experts leading some of the nation and world’s most pivotal and timely conversations. The 15 speakers will provide insight on issues like polarization in politics, immigration, race and America, sexual abuse, and climate justice, among many others.

“What I love about our audience each year is they come wanting to learn, wanting to be better global citizens. And they are willing to listen to some new ideas and consider them, and then find ways to act on what they’ve heard,” said Kristi Potter, director of the January Series.

Rachel Denhollander, an advocate and educator who became known internationally as the first woman to file a police report and speak publicly against Larry Nassar is one of the featured presenters. This year, she was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Mary Robinson, president of Ireland from 1990-1997, is also in the lineup. She is widely regarded as a groundbreaking and transformational leader who elevated the public role of the Irish presidency, helping to shape modern Ireland in a period of rapid and unprecedented economic growth. Following her tenure as president, Robinson went on to serve as the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes in his 30 years of covering the world, and Jenna Bush Hager, a contributing correspondent on NBC’s Today Show and daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush, are also in the 2019 lineup.

Calvin alumnus Willie Jennings will present on MLK Day. His talk “The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race” is also the Stob Lecture, an annual lecture co-sponsored by Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary in honor of philosophy professor emeritus Dr. Henry J. Stob (1908-1996). Jennings is an associate professor of systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale University.

See the full lineup of speakers/topics at www.calvin.edu/january.

Potter says the January Series exists to cultivate deep thinking and conversations around the important issues of the day in an effort to inspire cultural renewal and shape global citizens.

“I want people to be smarter when they leave, to learn something new they didn’t necessarily know before, to gain deeper perspectives,” said Potter. “And we are ultimately gathering to think about how we make the world a more just place and to consider what steps we need to take in that pursuit.”

For more information on the Calvin College January Series simulcast, call Cedar Hill CRC at (201) 652-4277 or visit www.calvin.edu/january.