Andra Gillespie to Keynote 2024 Fall Academy The Emory University professor will deliver a lecture titled ‘Same Vocabulary, Different Meanings’ on Wednesday, Aug. 21, in Evans Hall.

By Brian Laubscher
July 18, 2024

Washington and Lee University’s Fall Academy will feature a keynote speaker this year with Emory University’s Andra Gillespie delivering a lecture titled “Same Vocabulary, Different Meanings” at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 21, in Evans Hall.

An associate professor of political science and director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University, Gillespie will assist the audience in understanding the dynamics that can exacerbate division and polarization, and she will offer mitigation strategies to bridge the gap of understanding. Her lecture will help employees prepare for the election season and seeks to build ways to support faculty to ensure every classroom and university hub encourages the expression of diverse views.

“We are thrilled to welcome a scholar of Dr. Andra Gillespie’s caliber just before we kick off the academic school year,” said Leslie Wingard Cunningham, associate provost for faculty development and professor of English and Africana studies. “Her experiences as a pollster, consultant and professor have shaped her research and writing, and we can all benefit from her advice about respectfully navigating political conversations in this workplace.”

At Emory, Gillespie teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American and African American politics, African American political leadership, political participation, qualitative methods and race and elections. Her research focuses on the political leadership of Black politicians born after 1960.

Gillespie edited and contributed to “Whose Black Politics? Cases in Post-Racial Black Leadership,” which features case studies of prominent Gen X Black elected officials to shed light on the advent of a new generation of Black political leadership. She is also the author of “The New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark and Post-Racial America,” which traces the evolution of Black politics in Newark, New Jersey to gain a deeper understanding of the connection between racial solidarity, vote choice and policy preferences. More recently, she published “Race and the Obama Administration: Substance, Symbols and Hope,” which examines the representation of African American interests in the Obama Administration.

Gillespie holds a Bachelor of Arts in government and foreign affairs and African American studies from the University of Virginia. She also earned a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University, and before joining the Emory faculty, she worked as an analyst for Democratic pollster Mark Mellman.

W&L hosts the fall and winter academies annually to prepare and inform faculty and staff about relevant topics and the resources available throughout the academic year. Fall Academy programming includes workshops, discussion panels and information sessions covering two weeks beginning Aug. 19 and lasting through Aug. 30.

“The ample time that fall and winter academies allow for such things as faculty research showcases, hands-on technology instruction, classroom pedagogy training and diversity, equity, and inclusion working groups is a true gift,” said Wingard Cunningham. “Because of these opportunities, new and returning faculty and staff ease into the semester with confidence and shared excitement.”

Registration for Fall Academy opens Aug. 1, and a complete schedule of events can be found online by visiting http://go.wlu.edu/fallacademy.