About this Event
The AmerikaHaus NRW e.V., the Bonn Academy for Researching and Teaching Practical Politics, the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS), and the North American Studies Program of the University of Bonn in cooperation with the US Association of Former Members of Congress cordially invite you to a Brown-Bag Lunch Discussion with Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA, 1993-2019) and Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI, 2015-2023).
In Europe, we have followed the 2024 US presidential and congressional elections with both interest and concern. The transatlantic partnership faces enormous challenges and its survival is everything but certain in view of rising nationalism, populism, and neoisolationist sentiment on the other side of the Atlantic. At the same time, many of the troubling phenomena we have been witnessing in the U.S. such as divisive polarization, acrid rhetoric, and political gridlock have also come to shape European politics. Against this backdrop, this year’s US elections may well set the course for the future of the Atlantic community and Western democracy. What are the elections’ consequences for the transatlantic alliance? What do the elections mean for European politics?
To discuss these and related questions and to analyze the results of the 2024 US presidential and congressional elections, former members of the US Congress Bob Goodlatte, Republican from Virginia (1993-2019), and Brenda Lawrence, Democrat from Michigan (2015-2023), will join us for a brown-bag-lunch, to which you are cordially invited. Sharing their political insights with us, they will present their take-aways from the election results and look forward to your questions.
Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence represented Michigan’s 14th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 until 2023. During her time in Congress, she served as Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, 2nd Vice Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Co-Chair and Founder of the Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations. She was also the Vice Chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and served on the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform. Congresswoman Lawrence’s elected public service spanned over 30 years. She was the first African American and the first woman to be elected as Mayor of the City of Southfield. She previously served on the Southfield City Council as well as the Southfield Public School Board of Education. Before she began her career in public service, the Congresswoman had a notable career with the U.S. Postal Service. She was born and raised in Detroit.
Congressman Bob Goodlatte represented the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2019. A continuously-serving member of the House Judiciary Committee, he was elected as the Committee’s Chairman in the 113th Congress. In the 108-109th Congresses, he served as Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. Congressman Goodlatte furthermore made a name for himself as a leader on internet and high-tech issues, and he served as a Deputy Whip. His service to the people of the Sixth District began in 1977 when he became District Director for former Congressman Caldwell Butler. He later founded his own private law practice in Roanoke and was a partner in the law firm of Bird, Kinder and Huffman. Since leaving Congress, Bob Goodlatte has been active on the board of directors for the United States Association of Former Members of Congress. In addition, he is a consultant for companies, trade associations and nonprofits presently focusing primarily on intellectual property and civil liberties issues.
The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Jasper Trautsch, University of Bonn
The event will be held in English.
Tickets are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. We kindly ask you to only reserve the number of tickets that you will definitely use.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Bonner Universitätsforum, Heussallee 18-24, Bonn, Germany
EUR 0.00
