Political Activist, author and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader will be coming to Sonoma State this semester to speak to students and faculty in Weill Hall at the Green Music Center as part of the H. Andréa Neves and Barton Evans Social Justice Lecture Series.

Nader, who will be speaking on March 5 at 7:30 p.m., is known for his work on behalf of consumer protection and environmentalism and has written many books, such as “Unsafe at Any Speed,” a critique of the 1960s auto industry’s blind eye towards safety features. In 1971, he helped push for the creation of Public Interest Research Groups, or PIRGs with the book “Action for a Change: A Student’s Manual for Public Interest Organizing,” co-written by Donald Ross. In 2006, The Atlantic magazine named him as one the 100 most influential figures in American history.

Lisa Vollendorf, Sonoma State’s provost,  said she was pleased to learn that Sonoma State will host Nader for the lecture series. “Our social justice lecture series aims to help advance discourse about inclusion, equity, and diversity in our complex world, and we are thrilled that someone as talented and thoughtful as Ralph Nader will be giving this year’s address,” she said.

 Ralph Nader also was the Green Party’s presidential candidate in the hotly contested 2000 presidential election. Many blamed him for helping George W. Bush win that closely contested race by siphoning votes away from Democrat Al Gore. Nader currently runs the Ralph Nader Radio Hour, which is available for free on iTunes.

“I’m happy to work with Ralph Nader, who is very controversial, even among some progressives.” said Professor Emerita Andréa Neves, one of the namesakes of the lecture series. She and her husband created the program because, she said, “I found it frustrating that we [Sonoma State] had no high profile speakers, talking about sometimes controversial subjects. I was coming from Stanford, where they were everywhere.”

Nader’s address will coincide with Social Justice Week on campus. Previous speakers for the lecture series have included Cornel West, professor of philosophy at Harvard University: Caribbean American writer Jamaica Kincaid, and, most recently, Richard D. Wolff, professor of economics emeritus at the University of Massachusetts. 

Neves explained that she and the team contacts speakers they hope to come to Sonoma State University a year in advance, with the help of other staff members. Overall, Neves said she was quite happy with what the program has done on Sonoma State. “We’ve had a very good response, 1,000 plus people have come to some of the lectures, so I am very happy.”

Kylie McCab, a senior and philosophy major, said she was interested in going. “My mother is an environmentalist, so I have predisposition to that kind of activism,” said McCab. 

Daniel, a senior physics major, was also hoping to go to the lecture. “I first heard of the event over email. I’m not terribly acquainted with his work, but I know he’s done a lot of positive work for a lot of people.”

Tickets are free for students, and are also available online for $10 at https://gmc.sonoma.edu/, and also at the university box office in the Student Center. As of January 29th, 132 tickets have been sold, out of roughly 1,100 available seats. Students can call the Green Music Center at (866) 955-6040, or visit their website mentioned previously for more information.