Henry A. Wallace
Symposium
3rd Annual Henry A. Wallace Symposium
Forging a Democracy that Works for All
July 23 | 2:30 PM – 6:30 PM | Eaton DC, 1201 K St NW, Washington, DC 20005
The Institute for Policy Studies, alongside The Nation and We Build Progress, is hosting its third annual Wallace Symposium on Thursday, July 23rd. This symposium is a capstone event of IPS’s Henry A. Wallace Fellowship Program, supported by the Wallace Global Fund.
At this year’s Wallace Symposium, we will hear from movement leaders fighting to protect hard-earned rights and frontline communities, policy experts advancing a bold agenda to confront corporate power and create shared prosperity, and elected officials working to renew our democratic institutions from within. Together, we will explore the most urgent of challenges: how might we reenvision democracy to ensure its survival – and with it our thriving?
Join us on July 23 from 2:30 pm to 6:30 p.m. EDT at Eaton DC. This free event will be both in-person and live streamed. For in-person attendees, the Symposium will be followed by an evening reception from 6:30 to 8:30pm.
The Henry A. Wallace Symposium is a joint initiative between IPS and the Wallace Global Fund that brings together leading progressive voices to discuss the challenges confronting American democracy and envision paths toward a more equitable, sustainable, and peaceful future.
Named for a key architect of the New Deal who served as FDR’s Vice President, Secretary of Agriculture, and Secretary of Commerce, the Symposium honors Wallace’s commitment to advancing bold progressive ideals within the halls of power while working alongside grassroots movements to achieve them.
The capstone event of the Henry A. Wallace Fellowship Program, IPS’s leadership development program for young adults, the Symposium is held annually each summer in July.
Past Symposia
2025
2nd Annual Henry A. Wallace Symposium | Bold Ideas for a New Progressive Majority
July 17, 2025 | Washington, DC
In 2025, IPS — together with The Nation, Public Citizen, and the Wallace Global Fund — hosted our second annual Wallace Symposium on the theme of “Bold Ideas For A New Progressive Majority.” Our goal with this symposium is to animate a movement that not only resists fascism but presents a compelling alternative to both authoritarianism and the status quo. “We all know how to fight back,” said IPS executive director Tope Folarin. “But defense alone is exhausting, and defense alone cannot deliver the world we need. At some point, we must step beyond reaction and begin the hard, beautiful work of envisioning.” Throughout the day, we gathered panelists from among elected leaders, movement allies, policy experts, writers, and more to do that envisioning.
2024
1st Annual Henry A. Wallace Symposium | Countering American Fascism: Lessons from Organizing in the U.S. Heartland
July 25, 2024 | Washington, DC
The 2024 Wallace Symposium featured a discussion on the challenges confronting American democracy in the face of rising fascism. How are social movements working to counter this dangerous force by building an alternative vision of a multi-racial democracy and an economy that works for us all? What lessons can we learn from organizing in rural communities and from union campaigns in southern states?
