Rosario Dawson is preparing to talk about students and their future in the workforce…
The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress, activist will take part in this year’s The Atlantic Festival, the signature event held each fall in Washington D.C. by The Atlantic.
Returning as a virtual gathering, the event will run longer this year, from September 22-24 and September 27-30.
While this year has seen some return to in-person conferences and conventions, the summer uptick in cases due to the Delta variant has scrambled plans of some organizations.
Dawson is scheduled to take part in a panel discussion entitled “Preparing Students for the Future Workforce” on Tuesday, September 28. During the talk, Dawson will join higher-education leaders and workforce developers to explore solutions to ensure that students receive equitable education and preparation for the future workforce.
Other participants include Dr. Anthony Fauci; filmmaker Ken Burns and Rasheda Ali, talking about Burns’ new documentary on her father, Muhammad Ali; Sen. Ben Sasse; Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control; and Hilary Rodham Clinton. The full lineup is here.
The festival also is partnering with NBCUniversal News Group for the second week of the festival, with coverage on network platforms and some of the NBCU journalists moderating events along with journalists for The Atlantic, including editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
Today co-host Al Roker will interview EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan; White House correspondent Kelly O’Donnell will interview Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL); Today co-anchor Hoda Kotb will interview Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall; and Today news anchor and MSNBC anchor Craig Melvin will interview Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. NBC News correspondent Harry Smith will lead a conversation about the Showtime series American Rust with Jeff Daniels, Maura Tierney and Dan Futterman.
The theme for the festival is “Visions of What America Can Be.” Executive editor Adrienne LaFrance said that it reflects coverage in The Atlantic of “the health of democracy and trajectory of our country. It just felt like the right to double down on those themes.” Also being planned are ways for the online audience to virtually network and ask questions of participants.
One of the reasons for extending the length of the festival has to do with “how much people are bombarded with information everywhere,” Montgomery said. The event will offer “smaller doses over a longer period of time.” Participants also can filter their own schedule tied to interest areas, like business and tech, and race/identity/politics.