Prof. Mary Frances Berry: A Voice for the Powerless

In addition to her role as an educator, Mary Frances Berry, the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History at Penn, has over the past decades been instrumental in shaping civil rights. Appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, and later named its chair by President Bill Clinton, Berry issued major reports on New York policing practices, environmental justice, affirmative action, and voter suppression in the 2000 elections in Florida.

For her work in public service and higher education, she’s received 35 honorary degrees. She says that her proudest accomplishment is her work helping to end apartheid in South Africa. Berry, a regular contributor to Politico, is a highly sought speaker and a frequent media commentator. She recently appeared on C-SPAN’s “Book TV,” discussing one of her 10 books, And Justice for All: The United States Commission on Civil Rights and the Continuing Struggle for Freedom in America.

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