By Vic Cox

A basic tenet of civics is that democracy requires citizen participation at all levels of society to flourish. Campus guest speakers on Thursday, Jan. 13, and on Jan. 19 will illustrate this lesson with inspiring stories from America in the 1960s and Paraguay today.

“Making a Better America: The Politics of the 1960s and the Legacy of Sargent Shriver” is what author Scott Stossel and filmmaker Bobby Shriver call their discussion on Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. in Corwin Pavilion.

They focus on the multiple roles played by Shriver’s father in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Sargent Shriver was the founding director of the U.S. Peace Corps and spearheaded the War on Poverty, launching Head Start, the Job Corps, and Legal Services for the Poor, among other programs.

Outside of government, Shriver and his wife, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, established the Special Olympics. They are also the parents of television journalist Maria Shriver, the current first lady of California.

Stossel, a senior editor at the Atlantic Monthly magazine in Boston, last year published the acclaimed biography “Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver.” He has also served as executive editor of The American Prospect, written for many other publications, and presented broadcast commentaries.

Bobby Shriver, currently a Santa Monica City councilmember, also chairs the California State Parks and Recreation system, and a foundation. His feature film credits include the 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger action-comedy “True Lies,” an HBO film, and an NBC primetime movie. He produced many TV specials after leaving careers in journalism and the law.

Carlos Mateo Balmelli, current president of his country’s National Senate, presents Paraguay’s segment of the story on Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. in HSSB 6020. He will explore how Latin American countries can establish democracy in societies that are reconstituting themselves after decades, sometimes generations, of authoritarian regimes.

Paraguay, which was ruled by dictator Alfredo Stroessner for 35 years, will be a case study as Balmelli addresses “The Challenges of Democracy in Latin America” in his presentation. The leader of the opposition Paraguayan Liberal Party, Balmelli has pushed for public banking, state finance, and transportation infrastructure reforms.

He was a member of the Constitutional Assembly that drew up a democratic government for Paraguay after the dictatorship ended in 1989. Balmelli is on campus as a Regents’ Lecturer sponsored by the Political Science Department.

Both presentations are free of charge. A reception will follow Balmelli’s talk.