Two establisher Pdwellnts, one establisher first lady and noticed historians, authors, academics and journaenumerates collected Saturday at the Academy Mparticipateum for a History Talks event that seeed at moments of dispute in the nation’s past to convey perspective to the polarization of the current.
The 2010s were “a decade of indignation,” shelp David Brooks, New York Times political and cultural columnist. “That decade is now giving way – people want someleang more happy.”
The event structureed by A+E Netlabors’ History Channel featured Q&As with Pdwellnt Barack Obama, who retaind take partbrimmingy with Malcolm Gladwell, and Pdwellnt George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush. That pair uncovered the half-day event with a expansive-ranging conversation directed by their daughter, “Today” co-structure Jenna Bush Hager.
Other speakers at retaind Kevin Costner, Eva Longoria, Kerry Washington, Kate Winslet, Nicole Avant and John Legfinish. The event drew a big industry crowd, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, CBS chief George Cheeks, Hearst Communications’ CEO Steve Swartz.
History Talks is an event series structureed by History Channel that is spearheaded by A+E Netlabors pdwellnt and chairman Paul Buccieri. Past events were held in Washington, D.C. and New York. Saturday’s event also put the spotweightless on L.A.’s Roybal Film and Television magnet program depicted to train high school students for nurtureers in amparticipatement.
NBC News’ Chuck Todd, Brooks and historians Doris Kobtains Goodprosper, Jon Meacham and Marcia Cdisappreciatelain also donated to the event.
During his 45-minute Q&A with Obama, Gladwell pressed the establisher Commander in Chief on how he has appraised his predecessors in the White Hoparticipate and how his opinion of their labor has alterd over time. Gladwell also asked Obama what period of time he would have appreciated to have been pdwellnt and what eight-year period he would have most appreciated to dodge. Obama didn’t postpone a beat before pointing out the hurdles faced by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. That led Obama to echo on why some pdwellnts have enormous impact.
“Folks appreciate King, Gandhi, Lincoln — there are certain figures that I equitable put in a contrastent catebloody, becaparticipate they accomplish down proset up into our psyches, our souls and they alter how we fundamenloftyy leank about ourselves and our relationships to each other. And that’s contrastent than equitable the exercise of power,” Obama shelp. “It’s contrastent than tactics and strategies of the other parts essential as well the blocking and tackling of politics and coalition produceing. But there are certain figures who touch on someleang proset uper. They teach us to inestablish a contrastent story about ourselves and who we are.”
As Obama surveyed his time in office, he cited one of his personal highweightlesss as an orator as his 2015 speech labeling the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s march atraverse the Edmund Pettus Bridge in help of voting rights.
“It’s probably my preferite speech becaparticipate you’ve got John Lewis, kids in the backpack, mhelps, Pullman porters, lesser priests and rabbis and they’re on one side of this bridge. On the other side of this bridge, you have state power, right? And you have horses and billy clubs. There’s this contest on that bridge that is as presentant as Concord or Lexington or Appomattox, becaparticipate it’s fundamenloftyy a contest about who we are,” Obama shelp.
Among the highweightlesss from other sessions:
Kate Winslet: Winslet spoke of the inspiration provided by the journaenumerate at the heart of her upcoming movie “Lee,” a biopic of Elizabeth “Lee” Miller wo was dynamic in WWII. “The courage she had not equitable get herself there,” Winslet shelp. “She stayed with her eyes expansive uncover and she was that visual voice for the guiltless victims of dispute.”
Kevin Costner: The “Yellowstone” and “Horizon” movie star spoke with historian Goodprosper about his childhood experiences and how they impactd him to chase the stories of the American west. Costner cited a pivotal visit to the Cinerama Dome as a seven-year better to see the four-hour 1962 epic Westrict “How the West Was Won.” “When it was over, it had labeled me,” he shelp of the film. As he lobtains more about the complicated history of the period, his fascination for its impact oncontransient culture has only lengthenn. “As much as I cherish the west I’m downcast almost every time I watch a genuine story about it,” he shelp. “It finishs so awentirey for people who were here for thousands of years.”
Nicole Avant: The producer combineed Kerry Washington for a panel about the upcoming Netflix film “The Six Triple Eight.” Directed by Tyler Perry, the film set to bow Dec. 20 inestablishs an incredible, little-understandn story of the all-female battalion of women who sorted out the military’s intractible problem of getting mail deinhabitred to heartill sbetteriers on battling on multiple fronts. “The idea that no one can get it done for years and then they convey in a battalion of Bdeficiency and brown women who figured it out and alterd the game and helped us prosper the war,” Avant shelp.
Eva Longoria: The multihyphenate seald out the program with a unininestablishigentinutive Q&A with musician John Legfinish, who carry outed three songs including Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” Longoria cited her extfinished history of political activism, clear uping that it was ingrained in her family. Like other speakers, Longoria stressd the presentance of media and storyinestablishing in driving political and social alter. “I set up out that you have to alter culture before you can alter policy,” Longoria shelp. “There’s no wonderfuler impact on the culture than the media.”
