A Conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates

The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics is pleased to host a special Danforth Distinguished Lecture featuring award-winning author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Ta-Nehisi Coates holds the Sterling Brown Endowed Chair at Howard University in the English department. His bestselling books include The Water Dancer, The Message, and 2015 National Book Award winner, Between the World and Me. For more information on Speaker, please visit www.prhspeakers.com.

Elizabeth Hinton, Yale Professor of History, African American Studies, and Law, will join Coates on stage for this wide-ranging public conversation. Hinton’s research focuses on the persistence of poverty, racial inequality, and urban violence in the 20th century United States.

Event Schedule, October 22, 2025:
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Graham Chapel on Danforth Campus of WashU
8:15 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., Reception for all ticketed audience members in Umrath Lounge (Please note Mr. Coates will not be in attendance.)

UPDATE AS OF 10/21/25:

We are expecting a full house and slow lines to get into Graham Chapel. Please plan for extra time to arrive on campus, pass through security and ticketing, and get to a seat. Please read below for other important event updates.

Parking Visitor parking on campus is free after 5:00 p.m. in any “yellow space,” whether on a surface lot or in a garage. No passes or vouchers are required. Please note, parking in “red spaces” is always prohibited. More information and campus maps are available at: https://parking.wustl.edu/.

If you park in a garage, you will pull a ticket upon entry, which you will need to reinsert for a no-fee exit of the garage when you depart. There will be a small fee if you park before 5 p.m. The Danforth University Center (DUC) underground garage and the Millbrook Parking Facility are the closest to this event. The DUC garage is accessible via Wallace Drive off Forsyth Boulevard, and the Millbrook garage is accessible via Throop Drive off Forest Park Parkway.

Security Please plan ample time to move through the security protocol and get to your seat. To ensure a safe and productive environment, all attendees will pass through metal detectors, and all bags will be subject to search. We encourage you to leave large bags at home or in your office. Prohibited items include: Airhorns, animals (service animals permitted), banners, food, drink, firearms, laser lights, drones, balloons, glitter, or confetti. 

“It is the policy of the university to protect the rights of free speech, assembly, and expression by making its facilities available for activities related to the exercise of these rights, including peaceful assembly. In carrying out this policy the university must also meet its obligations to the university community to maintain a safe and secure atmosphere conducive to academic and educational pursuits; to preserve the dignity and seriousness of university ceremonies; to provide an orderly forum for speakers and events; and to safeguard the right of all faculty, students and staff to carry out their academic and professional activity without coercion, harassment or disruption.” For a full statement of the university’s policy on demonstrations and disruption, please see https://washu.edu/policies/demonstrations-and-disruption/.

Ticketing After passing through security, we will ask to see your ticket in either digital or printed form. If you have several attendees on one reservation, we will register names of the additional members of your party.

Book Sales:We are pleased to offer books by our speakers for purchase from local, independent bookseller Left Bank Books. Books will be available for purchase at the nearby Center on Religion and Politics office in Umrath Hall 6:00 -7:00 p.m. or at the reception in Umrath Lounge 8:30 – 9:30 p.m. Note: there will not be a formal book-signing as part of this event.

Please contact our office at rap@wustl.edu or (314) 935-9345 if you have any questions or would like to share accessibility needs. If your plans have changed and you can no longer attend the event, please visit Eventbrite to release your ticket to someone on the waitlist!

Reserve tickets here (WAITLIST as of 10/1/25)