Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
RSVP: By Wednesday, September 18 to clarkeforum@dickinson.edu. Space is limited. More information will be sent once we receive your RSVP.

The question of whether the United States is a Christian nation has long been contested. The First Amendment guarantees that Congress cannot establish a religion, nor restrict religious practices, positing the U.S. as a secular nation. However, foundational documents of America’s government contain multiple references to God and Christian beliefs. 

Proponents of the idea that America is a Christian nation often point to phrases such as “one nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance or the national motto of “In God we trust” as proof that the U.S. was established as a Christian nation. They also point to the Declaration of Independence, where “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” and a “Creator” are mentioned. 

In modern times, Christian ideologies continue to influence American politics. Many Christian nationalists argue for laws based on the scripture of the Bible, particularly in contentious topics such as homosexuality and abortion. Critics argue that these positions lack a legal basis, as they violate the idea of separation of church and state, and risk infringing on the rights of Read more

Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
RSVP: By Wednesday, September 18 to clarkeforum@dickinson.edu. Space is limited. More information will be sent once we receive your RSVP.

Several African countries consider homosexuality a crime, and it is punishable by death in these four: Mauritania, Nigeria, Uganda, and Somalia. Over ten countries have prison sentences ranging from one year up to a life sentence. South Africa is the only country on the continent in which there are protections for LGBTQ individuals’ sexuality and/or gender expression; it is the first and only African nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Today, many African cultures believe that queerness is a “Western and American import” because of the generational trauma their society has experienced due to colonization. In 2023, the Ugandan parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Law, an updated, stricter version from 2014. “Aggravated homosexuality,” consensual sex between two adults where one has HIV, is punishable by death. Those known or suspected of helping (providing housing or employment) or not reporting an LGBTQ person to police can face up to 20 years in jail. This has led to queer Ugandans being evicted from their homes, fired from their jobs, denied proper healthcare as well as harassed and blackmailed. Harmful legislation Read more

Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
RSVP: By Thursday, April 17 to clarkeforum@dickinson.edu. Space is limited. More information will be sent once we receive your RSVP.

Recently, 22 states, including Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama, have enacted laws restricting trans athletes from competition based on gender identity. In Pennsylvania, a bill (HB 972) was proposed in 2022 and vetoed in the same year, banning transgender girls and women ranging from K-12 to college from participating on women’s sport teams. Being a leading organization in regulating college sports, the NCAA permits transgender women to participate in women’s sports events with the requirement of documenting their testosterone levels 4 weeks before the sport’s championship selections, at the beginning of their season, and 6 months after it.

Since 2022, the NCAA Board of Governors has delegated decisions on transgender policies to each sport’s national governing body. However, the lack of consistency in policies is evident, with some organizations adopting inclusive measures based on hormone levels or time on hormone therapy, while others maintain stricter regulations linked to biological sex at birth.

This salon will explore the impact of current policies on transgender athletes. The discussion will be facilitated by Phuong Hoang ’26 and Thomas Lee, the Read more

Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
RSVP: By Wednesday, April 10 to clarkeforum@dickinson.edu. Space is limited. More information will be sent once we receive your RSVP.

In the 1960s, West-Germany saw large-scale student protests to change the education curriculum. At that time, the country and particularly the judiciary was still largely run, and many but the most egregious crimes of the Holocaust were ignored even under the occupation of the Allied Forces. The students’ activism confronted their parents’ avoidance and led to an entirely new German approach to the history of the Holocaust. As a result, a new critical curriculum was created that persists until today.

It is difficult for countries to carry a generational burden of genocide. Education often struggles with these issues in classrooms as they may contradict patriotic beliefs and undermine loyalty to the country. How can a perpetrator state educate its citizens on the inheritance of crimes? In Germany educational mechanisms that the student protesters fought for in the 1960s are still in place and have continually been adapted. For a country like the U.S. with a history rooted in indigenous genocide and slavery that has been disregarded for centuries, it should be interesting to compare its teaching Read more

Time: 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
RSVP: By Wednesday, February 7 to clarkeforum@dickinson.edu. Space is limited. More information will be sent once we receive your RSVP.

At the 2023 World Cup medal ceremony, Former President of Spain’s Soccer Federation, Luis Rubiales, kissed player Jennifer Hermoso without consent. The fallout that ensued brought issues of sexism in women’s sports to a global stage. Prior to the World Cup, the Spain women’s national team had complained of subpar training facilities and transportation, as well as a hostile and monitored work environment, leading 15 players to withdraw from World Cup consideration in protest. These accusations were not taken seriously before the medal ceremony media fallout. Even now Hermoso is experiencing repercussions from speaking out about her experience, such as being excluded from the national team’s recent roster.

Additionally, in 2022, following a six-year legal battle, the United States women’s national team received a fairer contract regarding pay. Tensions rose when the United States men’s national team earned an overall higher salary than the women’s team, specifically in regard to international tournament payments (like the World Cup). Even though the women’s team had performed consistently and comparatively better than the men’s team they received Read more

Time: 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Stafford Reading Area, Waidner-Spahr Library

Since 1982, the American Library Association has been tracking book bans and challenges in both school and public libraries. Book bans in the United States are not new, but starting in 2021 book bans and challenges, especially in K-12 schools, increased in striking numbers. Prior to this time, concerns over content in libraries would be brought to light by individual parents concerned about what their child was reading. However, the current wave of challenges is now organized by groups of parents, rather than individuals, and not only that, but they are also politicized.

Organizations like Moms for Liberty have a mission to ban books they deem inappropriate for school libraries. Many of these titles contain racial and LGBTQ+ themes. Diverse reading lists are weaponized; without ever reading these books in their entirety or at all, groups of parents go to their school board, demanding that these titles be removed from their children’s classrooms and libraries. This phenomenon did not happen in isolation or overnight. Conservative groups feel empowered by Florida’s governor—Ron DeSantis—and his hateful legislation such as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” and the prohibition of the Read more