Henry A. Wallace

Symposium

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.

“Fascism is a worldwide disease…But if we put our trust in the common sense of common men and ‘with malice toward none and charity for all’ go forward on the great adventure of making political, economic and social democracy a practical reality, we shall not fail.”

Henry A. Wallace, “The Danger of American Fascism.” New York Times, 1944

Past Symposia

2026

3rd Annual Henry A. Wallace Symposium | Forging a Democracy that Works for All

July 23, 2026 | Washington, DC

At this year’s Wallace Symposium – “Forging a Democracy that Works for All” – The Institute for Policy Studies, alongside The Nation and We Build Progress, heard 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. This event explored the most urgent of challenges: how might we re-envision democracy to ensure its survival – and with it our thriving.

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?