John Shaw, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute director, chats with former U.S. Senator from Illinois Carol Moseley Braun. (Photo by Steve Buhman)
October 27, 2025
Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun visits Carbondale
More than 100 people attended an Oct. 22 fireside discussion featuring former U.S. Senator from Illinois Carol Moseley Braun and hosted by SIU’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
In the event at the Varsity Center, John Shaw, institute director, and Moseley Braun discussed her trailblazing career and other topics, including her early interest in civil rights, attending the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and the University of Illinois Chicago. She also talked about her 10-year career as an Illinois state representative and her 1992 success as the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate and the first woman senator in Illinois history.
In addition, Shaw and Moseley Braun discussed her six years in the U.S. Senate, her service as the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and her 2004 presidential campaign. She shared stories about former U.S. senator and institute founder Paul Simon, former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, former President Joe Biden, and former President Barack Obama, who is her Hyde Park, Illinois, neighbor.