

Thu, Feb 19
|CT State Capital
3-4pm Conversation: Dr. Anthony Jack, 2026 Pennington Lecture
As author of The Privileged Poor and Class Dismissed, Anthony—once a low-income, first-generation college student himself—details how class divides on campus create barriers to academic and career success, and shares what schools can do to truly level the playing field.
Time & Location
Feb 19, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
CT State Capital, 950 Main St, Hartford, CT 06103, USA
About the Event
5th Annual Pennington Lecture
Thursday, February 19, 2025
Free admission. There are no allocated tickets.
3:00-4:00pm Exclusive Conversation with Capital students, CT State Capital
5:00-6:00pm Public Reception, Avery Court, Wadsworth Atheneum (light fare)
6:00-7:00pm Public Lecture, in theater and online*, Wadsworth Atheneum Theater
Free Event, seating is first-come, first-served
*link for the livestream will appear here closer to the event
Dr. Anthony Jack, 2026 Pennington Lecture
As author of The Privileged Poor and Class Dismissed, Dr. Anthony Jack—once a low-income, first-generation college student himself—details how class divides on campus create barriers to academic and career success, and shares what schools can do to truly level the playing field. Anthony is also the faculty director of Boston University’s Newbury Center, which serves first-generation students and focuses on student success and inclusion.
About the Pennington Lecture
CT State Capital's annual Pennington Lecture, now in its fifth year, is a project designed to bring “out of the shadows” the rich history of the Talcott Street Church, Connecticut's First Black Church and school located in Hartford and built in 1819. Capital sits adjacent to the original location of the church where Reverend Pennington served as pastor.
The Pennington Lecture is a collaboration between CT State Capital Community College, the Amistad Center for Arts and Culture, and the Wadsworth Atheneum.