National political journalist Cokie Roberts to speak at Loyola

New Orleans native Cokie Roberts, known nationally for her political journalism at NPR and ABC, will provide a historical overview of local politics — including the experiences of her parents, U.S. Reps. Hale and Lindy Boggs — in a public address at Loyola University next week.

For more information see the following news release from Loyola:

Her voice is synonymous with NPR’s Morning Edition, and she is a nationally recognized political reporter. Cokie Roberts, New Orleans native and daughter of prominent U.S. Representatives Hale and Lindy Boggs, will headline a free event at Loyola University New Orleans Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. Roberts will provide an historical account of New Orleans politics, touching on her family’s experiences and her own as a political correspondent, as well as offering perspective on the recent election of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit to become pope.

Open to the public, the event is part of Loyola’s Presidential Centennial Guest Series and will take place in the Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall located in the Communications/Music Complex on Loyola’s main campus. Free parking is available for attendees in the West Road Garage. A coffee and dessert reception will follow the event.

Capitol Hill was the backdrop for Roberts’ childhood — her parents represented Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional district for half a century — and led to her future as a national political journalist. After serving as a foreign radio correspondent for CBS in the 1970s, Roberts began covering Capitol Hill for NPR in 1978. She co-anchored ABC’s “This Week” with Sam Donaldson from 1996 to 2002.

Roberts’ work at NPR and ABC News has garnered three Emmy Awards. She was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and is recognized by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting. The Library of Congress honored her as a Living Legend in 2008.

Her bestselling book, “We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters,” is an account of women’s roles and relationships throughout American history. Her histories of women in America’s founding era—“Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation,” published in 2004 and “Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation” in 2008—also became instant bestsellers. She also writes a nationally syndicated weekly newspaper column with her husband, Steven V. Roberts.

Her Loyola talk will be available for viewing live online at 7 p.m. Central time at www.loyno.edu/speakers for those who cannot attend the event.