CANCELED: The Moelis Lecture: Marcus Samuelsson in Conversation with Penn Provost Wendell Pritchett on Food, Equity, and Social Justice

Due to new guidelines for public gatherings issued by Penn in response to the coronavirus outbreak, this event will not be held as originally scheduled. We are working to re-schedule the event and will notify those who were registered as of March 10 of the new date and time. 

This evening brings together acclaimed New York City chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, philanthropist and activist Marcus Samuelsson and award-winning scholar, author, lawyer, professor, and civic and academic leader Provost Wendell Pritchett for a dialogue about the many ways in which food culture strengthens communities—from facilitating new alliances to revitalizing neighborhoods.

Economic inequality is more widespread and more severe than it has been in decades. Low-income communities suffer from a dearth of good jobs and a lack of healthy food. Contemporary food culture in the U.S. offers essential examples for how the business community, educational institutions, and policy makers can creatively combat these problems while also celebrating local cultures.

Marcus Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind many restaurants worldwide including Red Rooster Harlem, MARCUS Montreal, and Marcus B&P in Newark, New Jersey. Samuelsson was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times and has won multiple James Beard Foundation Awards including Best Chef: New York City. He was tasked with planning and executing the Obama Administration’s first State dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Samuelsson was also crowned champion of television shows Top Chef Masters and Chopped All Stars, and was the winning mentor on ABC’s The Taste. Samuelsson received the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Personality for his TV series titled No Passport Required with VOX/Eater and he is an executive producer of Viceland’s show HUSTLE. 

Penn Provost Wendell Pritchett, Presidential Professor in the Law School and the Graduate School of Education, began his tenure on July 1, 2017. He served from 2009-2014 as chancellor of Rutgers University-Camden, and in the City of Philadelphia, he has been deputy chief of staff and director of policy for Mayor Michael Nutter, chair of the redevelopment authority, member of the School Reform Commission, president of the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, board chair of the Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, and executive director of the district offices of Congressman Thomas Foglietta, among many other board and leadership positions. His scholarly work focuses on urban history, especially housing, race relations, and economic development. He is the author of Brownsville, Brooklyn: Blacks, Jews and the Changing Face of the Ghetto and Robert Clifton Weaver and the American City: The Life and Times of an Urban Reformer.

The Moelis Lecture is part of a wide-ranging effort led by the Department of City and Regional Planning at the Weitzman School to increase diversity in community economic development and real estate development. The Moelis Scholars Program provides generous fellowships, mentoring, and professional development to encourage students with a commitment to diversity to pursue careers in housing and community and economic development. The Department is also home to the Penn Planning Equity Initiative (PPEI), which aims to redefine planning research and practice, promote action research and its application, and stimulate public dialogue.