Ghazala Hashmi Opens Fall Literature Series at Wytheville

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi launched the fall 2026 portion of her statewide Literature & Government lecture series at Wytheville Community College, bringing together students, faculty, and community members for a discussion of Studs Terkel’s Working and the relationship among “labor, identity, institutions, and civic life.”

The lecture, part of Hashmi’s four-year Literature & Government initiative, examined Terkel’s oral histories of working Americans and how 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 within their communities and public life, according to a statement from her office.

The event held particular significance for Hashmi, who spent much of her career in Virginia’s higher education system as a community college educator. Before entering public service, she was an English professor and the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Reynolds Community College in Richmond.

Her experience in higher education has continued to inform her commitment to making college education accessible and responsive to Virginia’s evolving workforce needs.

“Addressing the students, faculty, and staff of Wytheville Community College has been especially meaningful,” Hashmi said. “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 to offer additional observations on Working and the themes discussed during the event.

Wytheville Community College President Dr. Dean Sprinkle delivered welcoming remarks and emphasized the importance of bringing 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 at 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.”

Dr. David Doré, chancellor of Virginia’s Community College System, also attended and discussed the importance of expanding educational opportunities throughout the state.

“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 different historical periods, cultures, and communities. Through selected works of American literature, the initiative examines how writers have defined, challenged, and questioned systems of governance and institutional power. It also considers how political authority has influenced literature’s place, purpose, and voice.

The Wytheville event was the first stop in the fall 2026 portion of the series. Hashmi will continue the program at Radford University on September 23 with a lecture titled “Songs of Appalachia: The Role of Folklore and Memory in Sharyn McCrumb’s Ballad Series.”

She will then speak at Roanoke College on September 24. That lecture, titled “Labored Lessons: Kingsolver and Dickens on Institutions, Poverty, and Grit,” will examine themes reflected in the works of Barbara Kingsolver and Charles Dickens.

“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.”

According to Hashmi’s office, the Literature & Government series will continue at colleges and universities across Virginia throughout her four-year term. The initiative is intended to engage students, faculty, and community members in conversations about literature, government, civic life, and public leadership.

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