UO Libraries is launching a new annual lecture series in honor of University of Oregon alumnus and retired U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio.

The inaugural lecture “What Does It Mean to Defend Democracy Now?” will be at 5 p.m. April 10, delivered by E.J. Dionne Jr., internationally recognized and award-winning journalist and political commentator for The Washington Post. Dionne is a distinguished government professor at Georgetown University, a visiting professor at Harvard University, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution and a frequent commentator on politics for National Public Radio and MSNBC. He is the author of eight New York Times best-selling books.

The event in 175 Knight Law Center is free and open to the community. The lecture will be livestreamed for those unable to attend.

The series is made possible through UO Libraries’ partnership with the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics and by generous support from the Coquille Indian Tribe.