For freshly elected U.S. Representative Gabe Amo (D-R.I. 1), the first Black congressman to represent Rhode Island, mending the broken trust of the American people requires civic engagement which “demands optimism from all of us who desire a better world.”
Speaking at the Noah Krieger ’93 Memorial Lecture, which was hosted Monday by the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy at Stephen Robert ’62 Hall, the Congressman said “it’s times like these where we’re embroiled in a conflict between hope and despair.”
But Amo was persistent in reminding the audience that unity and focused integrity are the keys to healing. “I turn to Maya Angelou,” Amo said. “I turn to the thought that she put forward when she says that ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’”
The Krieger lecture, named after an undergraduate student with an interest in politics and policy who died shortly after graduating, has brought a number of prominent political figures to campus over the years. “The Krieger lecture, in particular, has been one where we have been able in the past to bring in really prominent people,” Wendy Schiller, director of the Taubman Center, said in an interview with The Herald. Schiller noted that former president Barack Obama and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries are among the former guest speakers.
Amo discussed what he said was a plan to combat division and build a more unified America, emphasizing that “delivering results is the vehicle for that engagement.”
The congressman specifically listed personal objectives that aimed at targeting the housing crisis, slowing the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and reducing the rise of gun violence. Amo emphasized that “continuing to work towards building hopefulness out of despair is the challenge.”
Amo was raised in Pawtucket, born into a working class and immigrant family. “The connection to this community is why I ran for this office,” Amo said.
The swift resignation of former Congressman David Cicilline in 2023 brought about a special election in Rhode Island’s 1st district. After an upset victory in the primary election and a sweeping blowout in the general election this past November, Amo’s momentum is carrying him into a tense political space he accredits to the “dominance of (a) rhetoric of division”.
Amo touched on both local matters and foreign affairs during his lecture. Topics included the importance of local news, the integration of students who do not speak English as a first language into public schools and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
The Congressman, who recently returned from the Munich Security Conference, raised concerns about global security, referencing the turmoil taking place in Europe. Amo recalled meeting “leaders throughout Europe whose primary question to me was ‘Is America going to show up?’”
Student attendees included both regulars and newcomers to the Taubman Center. “Brown hosts a lot of interesting people on a regular basis, so I try to make my way to as many of those events as I can,” said Ariel Shifrin ’27, who frequents events at the center.
Shifrin heard about the lecture while attending a series of Monday lunches hosted by the Taubman Center. Each week, the center invites prominent politicians, policy makers and alumni to provide guidance to students. “That’s what we try to do — bring in different types of people,” Schiller said.
For some, the young representative is a fresh face. “With lots of polarization (and) lots of partisanship, there’s still things we can do,” said Everton Prospere ’27, who attended the event.
Despite being elected a mere three months ago, Amo is already up for re-election in November. The congressman emphasized that “the only way that we can keep moving the ball forward is by holding those in power accountable and making sure that we do this at the ballot box.”
