Northwestern graduation events set for 2026
October 28, 2025
We’re in the home stretch before Thanksgiving break. Here are a few events to put on your calendar before taking some time to relax and recharge. As always, all are welcome!
‘Building the future we want’
Politician and activist Stacey Abrams has made it her life’s mission to address voter suppression throughout the U.S., including in Georgia where she served for a decade in the House of Representatives. In a conversation with Sherrese Smith ’96 J.D., global managing partner at Paul Hastings LLP, Abrams illuminates how the forces of business and politics converge and how we can each take action to create the future we want.
The event is at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Thorne Auditorium, 375 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. Register here to attend in person or virtually.
Power and purpose
John Palfrey, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is the featured speaker for the 2025 Loeschner Lecture Series on Leadership. Joined by School of Education and Social Policy Dean Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy, Palfrey will discuss power, purpose and what it means to lead through complexity.
The event is at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at Segal Visitors Center, 1841 Sheridan Road, Evanston. Register here.
A healthier world
Learn about global health research, education and outreach efforts at Global Health Day 2025. Events include a keynote address from pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Matthew Laurens, as well as a student global health case competition and poster session featuring students, staff and faculty.
Events start at 8 a.m., with the keynote address at 2 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center, 303 E. Superior St., Chicago. RSVP here.
A coming-of-age story
Written and performed in 1999 by School of Communication Dean E. Patrick Johnson, “Strange Fruit” traces Johnson’s journey as a queer Black man coming of age in the American South. Now, director Joseph Megel and actor Jamar Jones revisit the piece in a reimagined workshop presentation.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, Thursday, Nov. 20, and Friday, Nov. 21, in Wirtz Theater (room 203), Abbott Hall, 710 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. Buy tickets here.
A cinematic character study
Block Cinema presents a screening of “Solo Sunny,” a sharply drawn character study that exudes care and intelligence. The last film by East German director Konrad Wolf, it follows an unfulfilled singer compelled to leave the security of a gig in a dead-end traveling revue as she enters a relationship with an inscrutable philosopher.
The screening is at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, at The Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. Register here.
Songs for self-reflection
University Singers present a program of works spanning diverse styles and musical eras, inviting us to contemplate not only the depths within ourselves but also the infinite spaces that lie beyond.
The concert is at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, in Galvin Recital Hall, Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. Buy tickets here.
