Columbia Law has some very cool events that you can just go to.

On Wednesday, Columbia Law’s Constitutional Democracy Initiative hosted Representative Ro Khanna for a conversation discussing “How Can We Repair Our Democracy?” There, he spoke with two faculty of the Law School, Profs Olatunde C. Johnson and Jed Purdy. Ro Khanna represents one of the most affluent districts in America that covers much of silicon valley, placing him in the center of some of the most important debates in Congress in recent years. He has been representing this district for five years and has been a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for that time. In 2020, he was named a co-chair of Bernie’s presidential campaign. 

Much of the talk focused on a new book of Khanna’s which argues the need for hope in progressive circles. The conversation began along these lines, with Prof. Purdy describing how he often has students in office hours constantly how bleak they felt the current moment is. In response, Rep Khanna discussed what he viewed as the difference between hope and blind patriotism. To be hopeful about the state of America is not, in his mind, to ignore the realities of the violent history of the nation or to act as if America does not currently have deep flaws. It is instead to believe that there is the possibility to change. As he said, “cynicism and pessimism have to be earned.” They should not be the default states. As evidence, Rep Khanna described the speech “Composite Nation” given by Fredrick Douglass in 1869, defending Chinese immigration.

From this discussion of hope, Prof Johnson pressed the question of what should give hope, even if we can agree that hope is necessary. Rep Khanna responded by describing his own life’s story—growing up as the son of immigrants in Pennsylvania before moving to represent a district in Congress—and by describing recent changes in representation including the Squad. We should not discount the dramatic changes that have happened in recent years, he argued, just because there is a while to go.

From here, the conversation turned to specifics. Prof Purdy and Khanna discussed the issues facing rural America specifically, and the ways that jobs have been left behind. Much of this argument hinged on the idea that while people should always have the right to move, they should also have a right to stay in the community that they grew up in, and that it is not enough to simply say that there are high paying jobs elsewhere. After this discussion, and a brief tangent about what structural reforms are necessary, the event turned to Q&A.

At the end of the event, the audience was invited to take a grab-and-go meal made by Faculty House. Honestly, even if the event had been a bust (and it wasn’t!) this would have been enough to make the event worthwhile. You can always check Bwog’s Every Event On Campus tag to see what’s happening in the week. Sometimes it will tell you if there will be food. Columbia offers a ton of amazing events that you can just go to, don’t waste that opportunity (and try to get some free meals while you’re at it).

Law School via Bwog Archives