Women and Children First?: #MeToo, #NeverAgain and The New Faces of American Activism // Professor Natalia Mehlman Petrzela of The New School. Women and children, two segments often marginalized in American political discourse, are now leading nationwide conversations about gun control and sexual violence. From the ousting of sexual predators in the workplace to the outpouring of support for gun control by the survivors of the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., American activism has powerful new voices and faces that are overwhelmingly young and female. Historically, women and young people have been grouped together as needful of protection and as less than full citizens. Our current moment witnesses a new era in which they are rightfully recognized as autonomous political actors shaping the national discourse. Join historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela to better understand the historical roots of this transformative activism and its implications for our collective future. //A "Meet the Speaker" Reception will be held at the Chalfonte Hotel, 301 Howard St., following the lecture.\\ ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is Associate Professor of History at The New School in New York City. An expert in 20th century American politics and culture, she is the author of Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern American Culture (Oxford, 2015) and currently is working on a book about modern American fitness culture. Petrzela is a founding host of the popular Past Present history podcast, and regularly comments on the modern United States in popular venues including the Washington Post, New York Times, Guardian History Channel and Brian Lehrer Show. She holds a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.