Former U.S. Senator from Illinois Carol Moseley Braun will discuss her pioneering career and her new memoir next week during a presentation hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
The lecture, which is free and open to the public, begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, in the Varsity Center, 418 S. Illinois Ave. A reception begins at 5 p.m. in the lobby. Pre-registration is not required but encouraged.
Moseley Braun will also discuss her work with the institute’s founder, former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, along with sharing her insights on leadership, resilience and the barriers she overcame in politics and diplomacy, said John Shaw, institute director.
Moseley Braun “has truly been a trailblazer in Illinois and national politics,” Shaw said.
“She has had a storied career — as a civil rights activist, attorney, assistant U.S. attorney, state representative, U.S. senator, American ambassador and presidential candidate. She was the first Black woman ever elected to the United States Senate and the first woman senator to represent Illinois.”
Moseley Braun will also sign copies of her new memoir, “Trailblazer: Perseverance in Life and Politics,” which chronicles her path from growing up on Chicago’s South Side to the U.S. Senate.
Moseley Braun’s political career has spanned international, national, state and local levels, including 10 years as an Illinois state representative and four years as Cook County recorder of deeds.
She served in the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 1999. In 1992, she beat Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Alan Dixon in the primary and then won the general election. In 1999, then President Bill Clinton appointed Moseley Braun to serve as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. She is now board chair of the United States African Development Foundation, following her nomination by then President Joe Biden and U.S. Senate approval in March 2024.
Moseley Braun’s career has also included being an advocate for education and economic opportunity.
Moseley Braun earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Chicago and her law degree from the University of Chicago.
More information, including a list of the institute’s upcoming events and past speakers and events, is available.
Media availability
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover Carol Moseley Braun’s lecture. To arrange for interviews or more information, contact Will Becque, institute communications and marketing coordinator, at 618-453-4009 or william.becque@siu.edu.
