Former AG Eric Holder at Earlham College: ‘Democracy is not a spectator sport’

Hundreds gathered Thursday evening at Earlham College’s Goddard Auditorium for a conversation with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who reflected on his historic tenure leading the U.S. Department of Justice, the state of American democracy, and the importance of civic participation. 

Holder served as the 82nd U.S. attorney general from 2009 to 2015 under President Barack Obama. He was the first African American to serve as attorney general and is the third-longest-serving attorney general in U.S. history. 

The Sept. 17 event was part of Earlham’s Presidential Lecture Series, which brings prominent voices to campus for conversations intended to engage students, faculty, staff, alumni and the broader community in thoughtful discussion of important issues. 

A historic career and a special responsibility 

Holder spoke candidly about the significance of becoming the first African American to serve as the nation’s attorney general and the responsibility he felt in carrying that distinction. 

“When you are the first, you feel a dual pressure. You don’t want to disappoint. You also feel the pressure to say you only got the job because you are Black.” 

He connected that experience to his childhood and the history he witnessed as a young person. 

“To be a young boy in Queens watching Bloody Sunday on a black and white TV in Queens, to ultimately lead the Justice Department, you feel a special responsibility,” AG Holder said about the brutal attack of 600 peaceful civil rights marchers in 1965 on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

The Voting Rights Act and SCOTUS 

Holder also discussed voting rights and the continuing significance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which he called the “Crown Jewel of the Civil Rights Movement.” 

He said the Supreme Court of the United States has “hallowed out” the Voting Rights Act in recent years and identified voting access as a central concern for American democracy. Holder also discussed the resurgence of partisan and racial gerrymandering, saying that “over the last 18 months, gerrymandering has come roaring back.” 

“We want to make the system fair so that the politicians aren’t picking who their voters are,” Holder said. 

Finding common ground 

Holder argued that Americans often share more common ground on everyday concerns than the political divisions in Washington might suggest. 

He pointed to issues including safe schools and the country’s standing in the world as examples of interests shared by Americans across political differences, while arguing that elected officials can appear more divided than the public they represent. 

Holder also reflected on immigration and the role immigrants have played in shaping the United States. 

“Unless you are derived from indigenous communities, you are an immigrant. We don’t get the worst of other countries, we get the best. That is one of the things that has made this nation truly exceptional and dynamic.” 

He added: “We can’t turn our backs on our immigrants’ past.” 

A conversation led by an Earlham alum 

The discussion was moderated by Sunu P. Chandy ’94, a civil rights attorney and poet. Her award-winning collection of poems, My Dear Comrades, was published by Regal House, and she is a Pushcart Prize nominated poet. Chandy is currently a Senior Advisor with Democracy Forward, and on the board of the Transgender Law Center. Chandy has been named one of the Washington Blade’s Queer Women of Washington.

Following the formal conversation, Chandy invited questions from the audience, extending the evening’s discussion to members of the Earlham and Richmond communities. 

Holder closed his remarks with a call for active participation in American democracy. 

“You have to participate in this democracy. Democracy is not a spectator sport.”  each semester, with opportunities to develop community, spirituality, and leadership. 

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About Earlham College 

Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion foster a collaborative learning community that inspires and motivates students with opportunities and experiences so they can become catalysts for good in a changing world. Located in Richmond, Indiana, Earlham is one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 national liberal arts colleges and offers one of the top 20 classroom experiences in the nation, according to the Princeton Review. 

About Tandem Friends School

 Tandem Friends School offers a rigorous college preparatory curriculum in an environment built on Quaker values. Tandem Friends School is a coeducational day school serving students in grades 5 through 12 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Tandem Friends students receive an education in which intellectual, ethical, artistic, and athletic ideals are pursued. We foster capable students who: value a spiritual, egalitarian, kind, and creative community; thrive on independent, imaginative thought; are fully engaged in learning; and seek the best from themselves and their community.