Eugene Robinson

Event Type: Lecture, Attend In Person or OnlineAudience(s): Researchers, Teachers, Family-friendlyLocation: Portland Eugene Robinson is an award-winning journalist, political analyst on MSNBC, and the author of four books, most recently Freedom Lost, Freedom Won: A Personal History of America. Through his own family’s well-documented history, the book demonstrates how African American history is inseparable from the larger American story, tracing generations from his great-great-grandfather’s emancipation through Robinson’s own coming of age during the civil rights movement and beyond. Robinson was a twice-weekly columnist for The Washington Post, where he won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his columns on the 2008 presidential election. During his 45-year career at The Washington Post, he served in a variety of leadership roles, including city editor, foreign editor, assistant managing editor of the Style section, and columnist, before departing the newspaper in 2025. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Robinson was the first Black student to serve as co-editor-in-chief of the award-winning student newspaper, The Michigan Daily. Before joining The Washington Post in 1980, he was a reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. Robinson is also the author of Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America (2010), Last Dance in Havana (2004), and Coal to Cream: A Black Man’s Journey Beyond Color to an Affirmation of Race (1999). He was a Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University, served as a member and chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board, and was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame. Robinson was married for 45 years to the artist Avis Collins Robinson, who passed away in October 2023. This event provides the following accommodations: Since 1998, the Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series has brought distinguished historians, acclaimed authors, and influential thinkers to Oregon to explore the people, events, and ideas that continue to shape our nation. Inspired by Senator Hatfield’s belief in informed civic engagement, the series challenges audiences to consider new perspectives and discover how understanding the past helps us navigate the future. In an increasingly complex era, the Hatfield Lecture Series demonstrates the power of history to enrich public discourse and inspire meaningful conversations across communities. Notable past speakers include: Madeleine Albright • Ned Blackhawk • Liz Cheney • Doris Kearns Goodwin • Annette Gordon-Reed • Nikole Hannah-Jones • Henry Louis Gates, Jr. • David McCullough • Jon Meacham • Heather Cox Richardson • Cokie Roberts • Isabel Wilkerson • Bob Woodward View a full list of past series speakers. Eugene Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, MSNBC political analyst, and author of Freedom Lost, Freedom Won: A Personal History of America. A longtime Washington Post columnist and editor, he won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. David Hume Kennerly is a Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer and the former White House photographer to President Gerald R. Ford. His latest book, In the Room: Sixty Years on the Front Lines of History, chronicles six decades of world-changing moments through the lens of one of America’s foremost photojournalists. Craig Fehrman is a journalist, historian, and the author of This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark , which offers a fresh account of one of the defining expeditions in American history and incorporates the stories of those long left out of the historical narrative. Beverly Gage is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian at Yale University and author of This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History, an exploration of the people, places, and stories that have shaped America as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. Tickets to the four-part spring lecture series are on sale now. OHS members were sent an email on July 27 with a promo code to access discounted tickets. Single lecture tickets go on sale to members January 13 and to the public January 27. If you did not receive this email, please contact [email protected] or call 503.306.5211. All lectures begin at 7pm and will be held at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland as well as livestreamed. Non-member Single Tickets Patron Front Orchestra / Dress Circle includes access to exclusive post-lecture receptions with speaker Reserved Mid-Orchestra / Front Mezzanine General Back Orchestra / Back Mezzanine Virtual-Only includes access to livestream In-person tickets can be purchased at portland5.com, by calling the Portland’5 box office at 503.248.4910, or in person at the Portland’5 Box Office (open Wednesday–Friday, 12pm–5pm). Tickets can also be purchased through TicketsWest by calling at 1.800.915.4698 (Monday–Friday, 10am–5pm). A Note on Pricing: Following the new federally mandated “all in pricing” regulations, OHS has chosen to absorb processing fees that