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Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) called for the broader implementation of justice within federal institutions in the United States in the face of growing financial inequality at a Georgetown University event Feb. 3. (Ethan Herweck\/The Hoya )<\/p>\nSen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) condemned growing inequality in the United States and called for greater justice within federal institutions at a Georgetown University event Feb. 3.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Coons warned that, although authoritative use of law enforcement may temporarily deliver security, long-term opportunity and citizens\u2019 safety comes from a governing system that implements justice throughout its institutions. The event, Georgetown\u2019s annual Whittington Lecture, was hosted by the McCourt School of Public Policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) called for the broader implementation of justice within federal institutions in the United States in the face of growing financial inequality at a Georgetown University event Feb. 3. (Ethan Herweck\/The Hoya )<\/p>\n
Coons said that while government overreach can provide temporary respite for poor communities, opportunity and security are only sustainably delivered through just means.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can deliver security through a heavy-handed state,\u201d Coons said at the event. \u201cYou\u2019re watching that unfold right now, but that doesn\u2019t deliver a sustainable, humane and just society. You can have opportunity without justice, but then you have yawning inequality where the few get dramatically richer and the majority see no hope and no future. I don\u2019t believe that\u2019s sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can deliver opportunity and security as long as we look at it, in the end, through the lens of justice,\u201d Coons added.<\/p>\n
The Whittington Lecture and scholarship honors Georgetown professor Leslie Whittington, who was killed during the 9\/11 attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jon Kuhl, McCourt\u2019s executive director of communications and marketing, said Whittington\u2019s legacy endures through the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a way that we can honor the memory of a professor who, as you probably heard at the beginning, lost her life on 9\/11,\u201d Kuhl told The Hoya. \u201cSo it\u2019s a great way to keep her memory alive. But then it\u2019s great that our students can hear from somebody who\u2019s making policy and debating policy every day, and then to be able to ask them questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The scholarship awards a McCourt graduate student around $15,000 for one academic year.<\/p>\n
McCourt recognized Britney Cheung (GRD \u201926), this year\u2019s Whittington Scholar, for her work studying inequality and opportunity. Cheung introduced Coons at the event.<\/p>\n
Cheung said her experience as a math teacher in Alexandria, Va., from 2023 to 2025 exemplified the inequality Coons spoke about.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a middle school math teacher, so I saw the inequality unfolding in my classroom,\u201d Cheung told The Hoya. \u201cI really appreciated the way he framed what the Democratic platform can be. I think he articulated it really well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coons said the Democratic Party must focus on raising the minimum standard of living.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if we focus on a strong floor and a high ceiling, we end up in a place where we are fighting for things that more Americans believe everybody deserves,\u201d Coon said. \u201cSafe, sanitary, decent housing, a basic, solid education, the fundamentals of health care, the opportunity to work hard and to save for your future and to advance your kid\u2019s possibilities. High ceiling, but strong floor, and we need a stronger floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coons first ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010, replacing the appointee holding then-Vice President Joe Biden\u2019s vacant seat. Reelected in 2014 and 2020, Coons is considered a leading voice in foreign policy and technology, and has recently sponsored<\/a> bills aimed at developing artificial intelligence (AI) during his third term.<\/p>\n Ferdous Dehqan (GRD \u201926), who attended the event, said Coons addressed the most pressing issues currently facing the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this country is at a critical juncture, as he pointed out in his speech,\u201d Dehqan told The Hoya. \u201cIt was a very powerful speech, very thoughtful as sort of laying out what the problems are. I think those are the crises that we are facing right now, not only physical security, but as well as affordability and justice, which is also super important.\u201d<\/p>\n Auria Asadsangabi (GRD \u201926), who attended the event, said the speech illustrated the importance of community impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat this event taught me the most is that there is an important need to have a mission and impact on our communities,\u201d Asadsangabi told The Hoya. \u201cSenator Coons illustrated that through his priorities around security, affordability, safety, justice and willingness to mediate what is increasingly a volatile political climate.\u201d<\/p>\n Coons said despite efforts for bipartisanship, some issues lack compromise, citing the recent partial government shutdown<\/a> and current debates over U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement\u2019s (ICE) budget amid current controversies<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat is very hard in this current moment where each side screams at the other, and neither side seems to be willing to compromise,\u201d Coons said. \u201cI will say this, a majority of Americans today believe that ICE engaging in mass roving patrols is making them less safe, not more safe, and in the next two weeks, we\u2019ll see whether we can find a bipartisan compromise on what policing looks like in a democratic republic.\u201d<\/p>\n Pedro Azevedo (GRD \u201927), an international student from Brazil who attended the event, said despite international recoil against current U.S. policy, Coons\u2019 resilience is inspiring.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot in my community and among my friends back in Brazil, a lot of backlash against the U.S. and against basically everything that the administration is doing here and on the international stage,\u201d Azevedo told The Hoya. \u201cI think it\u2019s really inspiring, in a way, to hear someone say we are living through a difficult time, but we have had dark times in our history before, and you shouldn\u2019t give up on it because this is such a terrible time.\u201d<\/p>\n