March 18, 2024
SIU’s Morton-Kenney lecture to feature NPR’s Sarah McCammon
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Sarah McCammon, a national political correspondent for National Public Radio, will present the spring 2024 Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture on Wednesday, March 27, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
McCammon will discuss her 2024 book, “The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church” at 7 p.m. in Student Center Ballroom B. The free, public lecture will also include a Q&A from the audience. The lecture is hosted by the political science program in the School of Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology within the College of Liberal Arts and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. A reception is planned from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and a book signing will follow. Registration to attend the lecture is not required but is recommended.
McCammon’s book is described as “part memoir and part journalism, about the movement of people who grew up inside the powerful evangelical subculture and ultimately left in response to its increasing politicization.”
The 2023 Edward R. Murrow Award recipient, McCammon is co-host of the NPR Politics podcast and a frequent guest host for NPR programs. McCammon’s work focuses on political, social and cultural divides in America, including abortion policy and the intersections of politics and religion.
“We're thrilled to have Sarah McCammon on campus. Her top-notch reporting on elections, reproductive rights and other key issues is unmatched,” J. Tobin Grant, professor of political science and director of the School of Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology, said. “As a seasoned political journalist, Sarah’s insights will be invaluable for our students and community as we enter this election year."
A graduate of Trinity College in Deerfield, Illinois, McCammon began her career as a newspaper reporter in the Chicago area. Before joining NPR in 2015, she reported for NPR member stations in Georgia, Iowa and Nebraska. She has appeared on numerous television programs including CNN’s “Inside Politics,” MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes,” “PBS Newshour” and CSPAN’s “Washington Journal.”
“The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture Series is one of the signature lecture series organized by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute,” John Shaw, institute director, said. “We remain committed to bringing leading scholars, journalists and practitioners to SIU Carbondale for consequential lectures and policy discussions.”
The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture Series is presented in the spring and fall of each academic year. The late Jerome Mileur, an SIU alumnus, established the series in 1995 in honor of two of his political science professors — Ward Morton and David Kenney — who inspired him as a student. Originally from Murphysboro, Mileur was a professor emeritus in political science at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
For more information, contact the School of Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology at sapss@siu.edu or 618-453-3166.