An Evening with Anderson Cooper

This past Saturday, April 25, I had the opportunity to see Anderson Cooper speak. He was brought to Phoenix by ASU's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. I have been extremely fond of Anderson Cooper and the work that he does for several years so this was especially exciting for me. Race and democracy, and their relationship, are also topics that I'm quite interested in.

I think my favorite part of the experience was getting to know more about Anderson Cooper, the person or individual vs. the reporter. A few years ago, I read his memoir, and was delighted to have learned more about him. The lecture also gave one a more in-depth look at Mr. Cooper. As a reporter, he is typically interviewing someone else, so we don't learn very much about Anderson Cooper.

He is a straight news reporter. He doesn't provide an extensive amount of commentary or opinion on the topics he reports on. He does somewhat, so I had a feeling that he was a strong progressive, but from this lecture, it became abundantly clear that he absolutely was. He spoke strongly and passionately about issues that were of concern to him. Especially, appropriately so, on issues of race and democracy in the United States, and somewhat throughout history and the world. There was a particular emphasis on the current situation of police brutality against people of color in the United States.

I feel honored to have had this opportunity and would attend more events featuring Anderson Cooper and events sponsored by ASU's Center for Race and Democracy. Seeing Anderson Cooper at some point in my lifetime so I'm thrilled to have checked this off of my bucket list. Below are pictures taken at the event.