In this time of political energy, with to the upcoming Nov. elections, political activism is a hot topic. The Saul O Sidore lecture series seeks to add to the excitement with this year’s topic, activism for the 20th century.
“Each speaker is chosen to show us what activism looks like, from the 19th to the 20th century. Activism took on a different shape between the 19th and 20th century, and my feeling is that it will take a different shape in the 21st century,” said Mark Fischler, Chair of the Sidore Lectures.
The Sidore lectures began in 1979. Saul O Sidore and his wife and in-laws were founders of the Juvenile Knitting Mills. Sidore eventually rose to the position of president of Brookshire Mills and Pandora Industries in Manchester.
According to a history of the Sidores and the lecture series on Plymouth.edu, “Mr. Sidore’s success was based on the theory that following ethical principles and providing security for employees was the appropriate way to conduct a business. He pioneered a profit-sharing plan, instituted a pension plan, founded a scholarship loan fund to send his employees’ children to college and was the first employer in New Hampshire to hire an industrial psychologist and to institute insured hospitalization benefits for employees.”
Sidore was also the owner of the Manchester Free Press, though he didn’t exercise editorial control. Among his other positions, he was involved in New Hampshire Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights and the Manchester Jewish community.
The Sidore grant provides funding for a series of lectures each year. There will be 6 lectures in total this year, divided between the fall and the spring.
The first lecture is Mon., Sept. 29. Professor Zephr R. Teachout, an assistant professor of law at Duke Law School, will speak on the role of technology in politics. Students may recognize the current uses of technology to spread political messages due to the ongoing election. Different sites have been targeted for political messages, politicians are tracked more closely and voters are counted and courses in new and unusual ways.
Teachout will elaborate on some of the political technology of the future. As an internationally recognized expert on the Internet’s impact on politics and director of Internet organizing for Dean for America, Teachout has been in a position to see the effect of technology in politics for herself.
On Tues., Oct. 7, Kathryn Blume will speak on using art as a medium for activism. Blume is highly involved in the theater, including the “Lysistrata Project”, which she co-founded. The “Lysistrata Project” is a theater performance which promotes peace. It has been performed world-wide, and Blume’s solo spin-off, “The Accidental Tourist”, has been shown in over 30 cities. Blume has published several articles promoting peace and change in different publications. She uses her art to promote hope and change.
The final lecture of the fall will be on the struggle in Tibet. On Mon., Nov. 10, Michelle Bos-Lun will speak on the fight for Tibetan independence and the effects on the Tibetan people. The peaceful tactics of the Tibetan people will be a main focus of the lecture.
Bos-Lun has devoted eight years to Tibetan activism and spreading information about the Tibetan plight. She has focused her attention on both American students, giving them opportunities to experience the Tibetan lifestyle as part of a study abroad program called Global Learning Across Borders. As a teacher in N.H. and V.T., she has focused on Chinese and Tibetan studies.
“No matter what side we’re on, this year’s elections mean so much… We’re really excited about this [year’s lecture series], and we want to encourage students to be a part of it… Of course, we are continuously grateful to the Sidore family. Without them, this would not be even remotely possible,” said Fischler.
Each of these events, held in the Silver Center’s Smith Recital Hall, is free and open to the public.