Mayor Alyia Gaskins of Alexandria, Virginia, Anna McCorvey, senior equitable development manager for the 11th Street Bridge Park, and Sam J. Miller, author of Blackfish City, will come together for a conversation on how communities can build healthier, more equitable cities, now and in the future. Emily Badger, urban policy reporter for The New York Times, will moderate the discussion. 

The panelists will explore how policy, design, and imagination can shape cities that support wellbeing, resilience, and equity, highlighting current initiatives including waterfront resilience in Alexandria and community-centered programs connected to the 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, DC. 

Attendees can receive a free copy of Blackfish City, while supplies last.

Program Schedule  

5:30 pm  Doors Open  

6 pm  Program Starts  

7:30 pm  Light Reception  

8 pm  Close

About the Speakers  

Mayor Alyia Gaskins  

Mayor Alyia Gaskins, the first African American woman to serve as Mayor of Alexandria, is a champion for health equity, thriving families, and resilient communities. With a background in public health and urban planning, she brings deep experience in housing, homelessness, and community investment to her leadership. She continues this mission through her consulting practice, CitiesRX, which focuses on building healthier, more equitable cities.  

Anna McCorvey  

Anna McCorvey is a DC-based architect and the Senior Equitable Development Manager for the 11th Street Bridge Park, a project of Building Bridges Across the River, where she works to ensure longtime residents can thrive in place. Her career spans affordable housing, schools, and public-interest design, driven by a belief in the power of design to shape lives for the better.  

Sam J. Miller  

Based in New York City, Sam J. Miller an award-winning speculative fiction author whose work often explores themes of community, climate, and justice, including the acclaimed novel Blackfish City. Miller blends imaginative world-building with urgent social questions. His storytelling invites audiences to consider bold, transformative futures for our cities. 

Emily Badger  

Emily Badger is a reporter for The New York Times, where she writes about cities and urban policy for The Upshot. She's particularly interested in housing, transportation, and inequality — and how they're all connected. And she often works on stories that leverage data analysis and visualization to help readers understand complex subjects in the built environment like zoning, segregation and transit access. She joined the Times in 2016 from The Washington Post and is based in Washington, D.C.  

This event launches the Museum’s season of Big Read programs, featuring Blackfish City as the Museum’s 2025 selection. Generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Midwest, the Big Read broadens our understanding of the world, our communities, and ourselves through the shared experience of reading and discussing a single book.