E.J. Dionne, a frequent commentator on politics for NPR and Meet the Press, will be the featured speaker on Thursday, July 14 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center’s Summer Institute Series. Mr. Dionne’s talk is entitled American Conservatism and the Republican Party.

The following Thursday, July 21, Karen Marie Freeman-Wilson and Stephen Henderson share the bill. Ms. Freeman-Wilson was elected Mayor of Gary, Ind. in November 2011, becoming the first African-American female mayor in the State of Indiana. Stephen Henderson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent for the Detroit Free Press.

All talks begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center, 130 Center street, Vineyard Haven. Tickets are $20 and available at ticketsmv.com.