Nader joins ‘conversation’

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is getting in on the Conversation About the Future.

Nader, a consumer activist and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century, will speak at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 1, in 120 Kane. The event is free and open to the public.

Nader’s appearance is part of a two-day workshop entitled “Free Speech, Dissent, and Citizen Participation” and is designed to be part of President Richard L. McCormick’s Conversation initiative. Other events associated with the workshop include a Friday forum that will address free speech issues raised by the WTO Seattle conference.

Nader’s 1965 expose of unsafe auto industry practices thrust the consumer watchdog into the limelight. Since publication of the monumental book, Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader has made a career of working to protect consumers and citizens. He worked hand in hand with lawmakers to help create the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

His appearance is sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the Comparative Law and Society Studies Center, the Center for Labor Studies, the Center for American Politics and Public Policy, Speech Communication, WASHPIRG and others. Questions about Nader’s appearance should be directed to political science at 543-2780. ¶