Shared Event hosted by University of Miami
Centennial Lecture with Prof. Martha Minow, 12th Dean of Harvard Law School
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
UM - Law Library (D), The Gail D. Serota J.D. '79 Reading Room
1311 Miller Dr, Coral Gables, FL 33146
6:30 - 8:30 PM
The University of Miami School of Law invites you to a special centennial lecture with Martha Minow, the 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University.
“Not Born a Democracy: Preconditions for Constitutional Self-Government”
Beneath perceptions of constitutional crisis and democratic fragility in the United States lies a problem with deep roots: Critical preconditions for effective self-government are either weak or missing in action, and our constitutional system seems to prevent actions to strengthen or build those preconditions. Some essential predicates for constitutional democracy that face jeopardy: education, reliable news, security against lethal violence, and valuing of reciprocity, enabling participate in and live by the results of collective self-governance. What makes these preconditions for self-government and what blocks efforts to fortifying them? What are promising ways forward, in terms of policies, and actions that individuals can take?
ABOUT: Martha Louise Minow is an American legal scholar and the 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University. She served as the 12th Dean of Harvard Law School between 2009 and 2017 and has taught at the Law School since 1981