Contact Information
events@slu.cuny.edu
Main: 646-313-8517

The Murphy Institute at the CUNY School of Labor & Urban Studies offers workshops and seminars that build the capacity of working-class people to engage at all levels of the democratic process. As corporate interests hold increasingly greater sway in national politics, the Institute provides educational resources to enable working-class voters and communities to exercise the influence concomitant with their numbers.
To receive updated information about upcoming programs and trainings, click here.
Current Courses
Electoral Activism & Leadership Academy Class
Each Fall, the Murphy Institute provides space for the Latino Leadership Institute to host a series of classes on the electoral process and civic activism. The series seeks to empower Latinos and other minority groups by increasing their participation in the democratic process by training, organizing and mobilizing leaders. Visit the Latino Leadership Institute website for more information.
Civic Engagement and Leadership Development Series
Each Spring the Murphy Institute hosts a popular civic engagement program on Saturdays. Each session features CUNY faculty and veteran practitioners with years of experience and expertise in civic leadership, electoral politics, the history of mass movements and policy making at the local, state and national levels of government.
Important Information
Registration for Spring 2021 C.E.L.D. courses is currently closed.
Tentative Spring 2021 Syllabus
* All classes are virtual sessions via ZOOM Meetings *
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021 * 10am – 12pm
Session 1: Civic Engagement Challenges: Concepts, Context, Content, Considerations
Presenter: James Steele, Distinguished Lecturer for Civic Engagement, CUNY School of Labor & Urban Studies
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2021 * 10am – 12pm
Session 2: Pivotal Movements at Pivotal Moments: History’s Warnings & Rewards
Presenter: Daniel Rosenberg, Professor of Social and Labor History, Adelphi University
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021 * 10am – 12pm
Session 3: Prospects for Progress During President Biden’s First 100 Days
Presenters: Gerry Hudson, Secretary-Treasurer, Service Employees International Union; Alethia Jones, Open Society Foundations; Dr. Clarence Lusane, Professor of political science, Howard University
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021 * 10am – 12pm
Session 4: Strategic Challenges: Navigating Progressive Priorities through NYC’s Budget Process
Presenter: Joan Alexander-Bakiriddin, Board Member, New York City Participatory Budgeting Project
SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2021 * 10am – 12pm
Session 5: Strategic Challenges: Land Use and the 2021 New York City Mayoral Election
Presenter: Eve Baron, Chair, Pratt Institute Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2021 * 10am – 12pm
Session 6: Think Big! —Implications of an Innovative Approach to Health Care in Central Brooklyn
Presenter: Roger Green, Senior Fellow, CUNY School of Law; former Member, New York State Assembly
SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2021 * 10am – 12pm
Session 7: Engaging Political Parties in the Policymaking Process
Presenters: Lucia Gomez, Political Action Director, New York City Central Labor Council; Patrick Jenkins, President, Jenkins & Associates; senior advisor to the Speaker of the NYS Assembly; Basil Smikle, Professor of political science, Rutgers University-Newark; Political commentator
Beyond Resistance: A Progressive Immigration Agenda for 2020
Election Debrief: An Interview with Harold Meyerson
Divided Results: Voting and Partisan Gerrymandering