Trailblazing Illinois Senator to Discuss Career and Memoir at SIU

Carol Moseley Braun, former U.S. Senator from Illinois and a pioneering figure in American politics, will visit the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. CT for a special event at the Varsity Theater in downtown Carbondale.

Moseley Braun will reflect on her groundbreaking career in public service and discuss her new memoir, Trailblazer: Perseverance in Life and Politics. The book chronicles her path from Chicago’s South Side to the U.S. Senate, where she became the first African American woman to serve in the chamber, and her later role as U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand. She will share personal insights on leadership, resilience, and the barriers she overcame in politics and diplomacy.

In addition to her Senate and diplomatic service, Moseley Braun’s career has included work as a prosecutor, state legislator, and advocate for education and economic opportunity. Her historic election to the Senate in 1992 was widely seen as a breakthrough moment for representation and diversity in American government.

A reception will precede the event from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Varsity Theater. Moseley Braun’s lecture will begin at 6:00 p.m.