Hashmi launches fall 2026 leg of Literature & Government lecture series at WCC
Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi
On Tuesday, Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi launched the Fall 2026 leg of her statewide Literature & Government lecture series at Wytheville Community College, bringing students, faculty, and members of the community together for a discussion of Studs Terkel’s Working and the relationship between labor, identity, institutions, and civic life.
The Wytheville lecture, part of Hashmi’s four-year Literature & Government initiative, examined Terkel’s oral histories of working Americans and the ways people understand their lives through their work. Drawing on the voices and experiences collected in Working, Hashmi explored questions of dignity, identity, economic power, and the institutions that shape people’s experiences in their communities and in public life.
The event held particular significance for Lt. Governor Hashmi, who spent much of her career in Virginia’s higher education system at a community college. Before entering public service, Hashmi was a professor of English and the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Reynolds Community College in Richmond. Her experiences have continued to inform her commitment to making higher education accessible and aligned with the developing workforce needs in Virginia.
“Addressing the students, faculty and staff of Wytheville Community College has been especially meaningful. In my own classrooms, I saw every day how education can transform not only an individual student’s life, but an entire family and community.”
Following Hashmi’s lecture, Dr. Rodney Alderman joined her for additional observations and commentary on Working and on the themes raised during the discussion.
WCC President Dr. Dean Sprinkle attended the lecture and offered welcoming remarks, highlighting the importance of bringing thoughtful conversations about literature, education, and public life to the college community.
“Wytheville Community College is honored to be the first community college to host Virginia Lt. Governor Ghazala Hashmi as she continues her lecture series of Virginia's colleges and universities,” Sprinkle said. “Her background as a community college educator gives her a meaningful connection to our mission and to the students, faculty, and communities we serve. Her lecture, inspired by Studs Terkel’s Working, is especially fitting for WCC, where we recognize the dignity of work, the power of individual stories, and the essential role community colleges play in helping people build meaningful lives and careers.”
Also joining the event was Dr. David Doré, Chancellor of Virginia’s Community College System, who shared his perspective on the importance of these efforts. “Lieutenant Governor Hashmi has shown a real commitment to Virginia’s community colleges and to making sure students have the education and pathways they need to succeed,” Doré said. “It was a pleasure to be part of this event and to see that commitment to expanding opportunity across the Commonwealth firsthand.”
The Literature & Government series explores the relationship between literary expression and political power across history, culture, and communities. Through selected works of American literature, the series examines how writers have defined, challenged, and interrogated systems of governance and institutional power, and how political authority has influenced literature’s place, purpose, and voice.
The Wytheville event marks the first stop of the Fall 2026 leg of the Literature & Government lecture series. Hashmi will continue the series at Radford University on Sept. 23 with “Songs of Appalachia: The Role of Folklore and Memory in Sharyn McCrumb’s Ballad Series,” followed by a Sept. 24 lecture at Roanoke College, “Labored Lessons: Kingsolver and Dickens on Institutions, Poverty, and Grit.”
“Community colleges are deeply connected to the life of their communities,” Hashmi said. “They bring together students with different life experiences, responsibilities, and aspirations, and they create opportunities for people at every stage of life. That makes Wytheville an especially fitting place to have a conversation about work, dignity, and the role of institutions in our lives.”
The Literature & Government series will continue at colleges and universities across Virginia throughout the lieutenant governor’s four-year term, bringing students, faculty, and community members into conversations about literature, government, civic life, and public leadership.
