Pulitzer Prize-winning author to speak at Clemson on the consequences of being “Evicted”

Matthew Desmond, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Evicted,” will speak at Clemson for the revival of the Humanities Hub lecture series at Clemson University.

The lecture will kick off the Humanities Hub’s “Lectures in Law and Humanities” series, endowed by Loebsack & Brownlee, PLLC. The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. on March 3 in the Self Auditorium in the Strom Thurmond Institute on Clemson’s campus.

Desmond, a sociologist in the faculty of Princeton University is a leading researcher on the societal consequences of eviction. “Evicted” follows eight families in Milwaukee as they struggle to keep from losing their homes. Hailed as “wrenching and revelatory” (The Nation), the book sets “a new standard for reporting on poverty” (The New York Times).

Christopher Loebsack, ’93, is a graduate of Clemson University and Chair of Clemson’s Humanities Advancement Board. As a Managing Partner of the law firm of Loebsack & Brownlee, PLLC, his legal practice focuses on representing national multifamily and single-family operator property management firms, and he regularly mediates landlord-tenant cases.

“When contemplating how the Law can—and does—intersect with the Humanities, you can see the connection most strongly in a social justice context,” Loebsack said. “The research spearheaded by Desmond and his Eviction Lab team of researchers concerning the socio-economic ramifications of the legal process of evictions is exactly the type of topic that we hoped to be able to bring to light when we envisioned this lecture series.”

Loebsack also noted that the mission of the lecture series is to provide a platform for important social justice topics to be presented to a wide audience of interested listeners. The firm is especially glad to be able to begin the series with a nationally-renowned expert in a field that is directly relevant to its law practice.

“Loebsack & Brownlee, PLLC believes that the ‘Lectures in Law and Humanities Series’ will create a regular and tangible reminder of the wide-reaching impacts the law has on our culture, and create a more vibrant dialog for both students at Clemson and the pre-law community in general,” Loebsack said. “I hope that this one-of-a-kind Clemson Experience will positively impact the lives of others outside of the University, much as Clemson has done for me.”

Desmond’s lecture will be the first Humanities Hub event since COVID-19 paused activities in 2020, and the first under new director, James Burns.

“This event has been a very long time in coming, but it is worth the wait,” Burns said. “The topic of eviction has become even more timely since we first began planning for Dr. Desmond to speak almost two years ago. I’m also very grateful for the leadership Chris Loebsack has shown to make sure that Clemson can continue to host important conversations for our students to be a part of.”

Because of limited seating, attendees are encouraged to RSVP online using the link available here. The event will adhere to any COVID-19 mitigation measures applicable to Clemson University facilities. Check here for the latest COVID-19 resources and updates from the University.

All Humanities Hub events are free and open to the public.