Presented during America's 250th anniversary and amid a renewed cultural interest in the Black cowboy, this series brings together the preeminent experts on Black Western culture and history to examine how the myth and reality of the American West continue to shape our understanding of the nation's past and present.

Karla Gilbride ’02, the first blind attorney to argue before the Supreme Court, is a disability advocate and distinguished civil rights litigator. Previously the lead legal counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a current deputy director at the ACLU, Gilbride joins us for a campuswide talk on the role of disability and civil rights advocacy in the present political landscape.

Swarthmore Fungi Fest brings the College into a growing movement to learn from fungi, to remediate our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the more-than-human world in a time of climate crisis. This weeklong series of events culminates with a conversation between internationally acclaimed scientist and author Merlin Sheldrake and Pennsylvania’s first official state mycologist, Hannah Huber. Together, they will reveal the interconnected role of fungi in the interdisciplinary contexts of science, law and government, and creative writing and art.

Ruby Ibarra is an emcee, spoken word artist, and director from the Bay Area, who has toured across the U.S., Canada, and the Philippines. She is the co-founder of the Pinays Rising Scholarship program and the Bay Area creative company, Bolo Music Group. "Bakunawa," the first single from her sophomore album, won NPR's Tiny Desk Contest in 2025. She has also served as a keynote speaker for SF Music Week and the Creative Youth Awards.

Experience a screening of the acclaimed short film Sites of Memory, followed by a powerful choral performance by Voices of Philadelphia, whose music honors the strength, faith, resilience, and creativity woven into the tradition of African American spirituals. The evening will culminate in a panel discussion with filmmakers Antonio Tarrell and Castel Sweet, founding director Coniyah McKinney, and preeminent Black studies scholars. Together, we’ll celebrate the voices, stories, and cultural traditions that have shaped the Black South — and continue to inspire us today. 

With his expertise in enigmas and illusions, David Kwong delights and challenges audiences around the world with his intellectual brand of magic and mentalism. He is the star of Netflix’s The Puzzle Room, where he shares his original puzzles and magic with weekly celebrity guests. A veteran crossword puzzle constructor, Kwong creates puzzles for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal. Following wildly successful runs across the U.S., London, and Toronto, David brings his immersive magic and puzzles experience to Swarthmore College.

With her haunting songs and cinematic arrangements of live-looped fiddle tunes, Gaelynn Lea has carved out a singular place in contemporary music since winning NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest in 2016. Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, Gaelynn is one of the leading public voices on disability culture and accessibility in the arts. She co-founded RAMPD and the Music Inclusion Ensemble, helping to reimagine inclusion and disability excellence. Her acclaimed 2026 memoir It Wasn’t Meant To Be Perfect explores the universal drive toward creativity.

Global institutions are being tested on every front. Governing an Unraveling World convenes leading policymakers, practitioners, and scholars to confront the dilemmas posed by persistent armed conflict, climate change, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on real-world experience, this conference examines how decision-makers should act when values collide, rules fall short, and every available choice carries costs. Marking the 80th anniversary of Swarthmore’s hosting of the first Model United Nations, the conference asks what responsible leadership and global cooperation require now.