Scholar and Author Imani Perry Headlines Pisgah Legal’s 14th Annual Justice Forum
Free event will be held at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on October 23, 2025.
The nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services will host Dr. Imani Perry as their 14th Annual Justice Forum keynote speaker, scheduled for October 23, 2025 in Asheville, with watch parties happening concurrently across western North Carolina (WNC).
The event is free, but registration is required at www.pisgahlegal.org/2025-justiceforum.
Perry is a celebrated author, legal scholar, and cultural critic whose work bridges history, law, literature, and the arts to examine the enduring legacies of race and inequality in America.
A professor at Harvard University and recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, Perry is known for her insightful books, including South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation, which won the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction.
Pisgah Legal Services Executive Director Jackie Kiger says, “There is much we can learn from Dr. Perry’s unique and insightful experiences and perspective. Pisgah Legal is pleased to bring her to western North Carolina for a singular opportunity to explore the intersection of justice, race, and democracy.”
The Justice Forum takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Harrah’s Cherokee Center, in downtown Asheville. At the Asheville event, a ticketed pre-event reception will take place in the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Banquet Hall. Tickets to the reception are $125/person and include food and drink. The Justice Forum will follow in Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.
For more information about the Asheville event, contact Lori Nierzwick at (828) 818-5474 or visit www.pisgahlegal.org/justiceforum. This event is made possible by presenting sponsors Jacquelyn and Bruce Rogow and other generous donors.
Livestream will also be available, and free regional watch parties are also planned in the following communities:
- Brevard – Unitarian Universalists of Transylvania County, 24 Varsity Street, 28712. Contact [email protected]
- Cullowhee – Western Carolina University – 1 University Drive, 28723. Contact [email protected]
- Highlands – First Presbyterian Church of Highlands, 471 Main St., 28741. Contact [email protected]
- Spruce Pine – Cross Street Commerce Center, 31 Cross St., 28777. Contact [email protected]
This is the 14th year PLS has hosted this annual event to call for justice, draw attention to the needs of people struggling to make ends meet in WNC and to generate conversation about pressing local and national issues. Former speakers include: Clint Smith, Jose Antonio Vargas, Matthew Desmond, Marian Wright Edelman, Peter Edelman, Sister Simone Campbell, and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha.
About Pisgah Legal Services
Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) provides a broad array of free, civil legal aid, anti-poverty advocacy, and access to health care assistance in the 18-county WNC region. Last year, Pisgah Legal served more than 25,000 people, many of whom were recovering from Hurricane Helene.
With offices in Asheville, Brevard, Burnsville, Cashiers, Franklin, Hendersonville, Highlands, Marshall, Newland, Rutherfordton, Spruce Pine, and Waynesville, Pisgah Legal employs staff attorneys and harnesses the power of approximately 250 volunteer lawyers who assist PLS clients.
