Kent State’s Presidential Speaker Series, scheduled for the evening of May 4, 2022, will host Jon Meacham, a presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

Meacham has knowledge of politics, history, religion and current affairs, according to a press release on the university’s website of May 4 events. He will provide historical context to the issues and events impacting our daily lives when he speaks about civil discourse that evening.

“His knowledge of history and his explorations of political crises will further our understanding of the current moment in American politics,” President Todd Diacon said in the press release.

In addition to his appearance at the speaker series, Meacham is a keynote speaker for the 2022 May 4 Commemoration, which will take place at noon on the Kent State Commons, according to the release.

“At a time of intense partisanship and political polarity, we are fortunate to have a speaker of Meacham’s temperament come to Kent State,” Diacon said.

Meacham is a New York Times bestselling author of “The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels.”  The book examines the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in U.S. history, according to the release.

He is the author of  several other national bestsellers including “Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush” and “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.” He is also a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and a fellow of the Society of American Historians, the release stated.

The Presidential Speaker Series is scheduled for May 4, 2022, at 7 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Ballroom.

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Kelly Krabill is the managing editor. Contact her at [email protected].