We live in an age of oligarchy—with an American political system that is structured to represent the interests of the moneyed few over the voting many. From Bureaucrats to Billionaires places the institution of modern lobbying at the epicenter of this oligarchical system. In this presentation, I tell the story of Black ‘revolving door’ lobbyists (or staffers-turned-lobbyists) decision to leave Capitol Hill, which provides a window into the consequences of a racist and conservative political project designed to strip our legislature of its capacity to get work done and outsource our policymaking to lobbyists.

Nicholas Occhiuto is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Hunter College and the Graduate Center—City University of New York. He is a fellow in Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies (BRES) at The CUNY Graduate Center, and is affiliated with the BRES Collaboration Hub. He is also the Director of Hunter College’s Master’s in Applied Digital Sociology Program. He is currently the political director for Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democratic nominee for the United States Congress in NY-13, and was a member of the Zohran Mamdani Inauguration Committee.

Sponsored by the Africana Studies Department, Sociology Department, Political Science Department, and American & Native American Studies Department.

This event is free and open to the public.