Democracy Speaker Series Tackles Authoritarianism

Aurelia Wen ’27 Campus Correspondent

For the Term Two Democracy Series, Hopkins is welcoming a number of important speakers to campus. As the first speaker of the term, former Nicaraguan pre-candidate for president in the 2021 general election, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, spoke in Assembly on January 24. He also held small group Q&A sessions in the Lower Library in the morning with students and faculties.

John Roberts, Assistant Head of School and organizer of the speaker series, outlined ambitious plans for the program’s second half. He expressed great hopes for the upcoming events, stating, “We’re hoping there will be at least three speakers...where we turn outside of just the United States and start going more global, in particular, going more hemispheric.”

With global conflicts shaping political landscapes worldwide, the second part of the series gives Hopkins students an opportunity to explore political structures in other countries up close. History teacher Zoe Resch said, “It’s hard for us to imagine anything but democracy...and so bringing somebody in who’s not only experienced authoritarianism, but been punished for practicing the rights that we take for granted, the rights of free press and free speech [is excellent].”

Students said the series was helping them better understand political systems while exposing them to diverse perspectives.” Dylan Mulligan ’28 shared: “I don’t think [the speakers have] impacted my opinions, but it’s interesting to hear their opinions.” Diverse opinions naturally lead to disagreement, but “I think [different perspectives] really open people’s minds to not judging other people [with] different political views,” said Allison Solorzano ’27.

The speeches have affected the community in different ways. Some students, previously unmoved by political discourse, now find themselves more engaged in discussions. Yuki Heeger ’25 stated, “The fact that we’re having people speak makes me think about it but their opinions don’t really influence my opinions.” Alternatively, Ava Kwok ’26 said that “I think it’s definitely increased discourse on campus, especially speakers that some might consider controversial. And it definitely got me talking, but I don’t think it’s really impacted my opinions at all.”

The Democracy Series has exposed students to a plethora of different perspectives. Mateus Witczak ’26 recalled, “I liked Jack Greenberg ’14’s speech on engagement in politics at a young age. Even though I didn’t [agree with] Sam Greco ’11, I thought it was important to hear his perspective.” Caryn Kim ’26 said, “Greenberg talked about presidential biases, and I thought that was interesting.”

Chamorro, who currently lives in the U.S., talked about his story from running for presidency, his capture, to
his continuing work now with the most central part: hope. As an opposition party against dictatorship in Nicaragua, Chamorro said, “I knew the possibilities of winning the elections were extremely difficult, [but] I ran because I have to be coherent with my democratic principle. I call people to vote for a change.” Said Chamorro: “I have lost two years of my life, family memories, my house, my citizenship, but they cannot take my determination, my will, and my hope.” Chamorro also uses “my country” every time he addresses Nicaragua, and is working towards his goal to “bring democracy back to my country.”

Some community members have expressed a desire for more context. Resch said, “I think it would be very beneficial for the community if we had more information about the speakers, or an email with available websites beforehand. This way, there would be more valuable questions for the speakers and allow them to offer us more information.” Resch also noted: “One of the things that I would love to learn more about is [Chamorro’s] experience coming from a family that’s very connected to several different newspapers in Nicaragua.”

One function of the Democracy series is to highlight the dangers of compromised political systems. Said Roberts, “[When] you don’t allow free good information, loyal opposition, [and] undermine the values of free and fair exchange [of information], you’re going to end up in a bad place.” He added, “[Chamorro] is an example of what happens if you try to exercise democratic freedoms in a place that doesn’t value democracy.”

Roberts characterized the Democracy Series as “[an opportunity] to meet great people, get good information, great questions, civil discourse, [and demonstrate] respectful listening.” Kwok saw value in “[hearing] from someone who has been part of a political system that isn’t bipartisan.” Solorzano said, “It’s helped me ... see how other people have different opinions, and it really made me want to learn more about democracy, and not just my own political views.”

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Democracy Speaker Series Tackles Authoritarianism