Hamilton Hall Lecture Series on World Affairs at the Milano Center
By Patrick DeVivo
Hamilton Hall in Salem
For the second year in a row, Melrose residents will have local access to the renowned Hamiton Hall Lecture Series on World Affairs. The series of weekly lectures held at the historic Hamilton Hall in Salem, MA, will be aired remotely at the Milano Center each Tuesday evening from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm through April 1st.
The Hamilton Hall lecture series is a tradition that dates back to 1946 when a group of Salem women joined together to raise funds for needed renovations to historic Hamilton Hall in downtown Salem. Hamilton Hall was constructed in 1805 by renowned architect and wood carver Samuel McIntire and is a designated Registered National Historic Landmark. The group of women became known as the Current Events Committee as they organized this annual set of weekly lectures and discussions on specific topics in world affairs relevant at that time.
In the early years of the lecture series, James Powers, Foreign Editor and Chief Editorial Writer for the Boston Globe, delivered each of the eight lectures. Over time the series diversified and included scholars, journalists, and noted experts in areas of world affairs.
The organizers of the lecture series limit remote replays of the lectures to specific organizations. The Melrose Council on Aging was pleased to become one of these organizations in 2024. Below is this year’s schedule:
- February 11th - “Growing Russia-North Korea Collusion and Kim Yo Jong’s Role in this Game” By Sung-Yoon Lee, Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C.
- February 18th - “Artificial Intelligence and Global Security: Risks, Opportunities & a Path Forward” By Kevin R. Powers, Director of the “new” Master of Legal Studies in Cybersecurity, Risk & Governance Program at Boston College Law School
- February 25th - “The Good Life after the Age of Growth” By Daniel Markovits, Guido Calabresi Professor of Law and Founding Director for the of Private Law, Yale Law School
- March 4th - “What We Have Learned from the Chinese Economy: The Past and the Future Prospects” By Yasheng Huang, Epoch Foundation Professor of Global Economics and Management, MIT Sloan School of Management
- March 11th - “Religion and Global Politics” By Monica Duffy Toft, Academic Dean, Professor of International Politics, and Director, Center for Strategic Studies at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy
- March 18th - “Can Democracy Survive in a 'Post-Truth' World” Charles Sennott, an award-winning journalist looks at how the crisis in local journalism has contributed to a crisis for our democracy
- March 25th - “Global Migration: Understanding the Differences Between Refugees and Other Migrants in the Context of Conflict and Climate Change” By Karen Jacobsen, Henry J. Leir Professor in Global Migration at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy
- April 1st - “The State of the World 2025” By Stephen Walt, Robert & Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs, The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
The cost of a package of all 8 lectures is $85. Pro-rated payments for a portion of the lectures are accepted and can be arranged by contacting Erica Brown, Executive Director, Melrose Council on Aging, at 781-662-6686 or at ebrown@cityofmelrose.org.
All Milano Center members are invited. If you are not a member of the Milano Center you can easily sign up in less than five minutes by calling the center at 781-665-4304. Proceeds from the lecture series go to support the Friends of the Milano Center.
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