Two advocates for racial justice and equality and First Amendment rights will be the online panelists for a Constitution Day event today (Tuesday) from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
The speakers will be Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, UW-Eau Claire professor of history and women’s, gender and sexuality studies; and George Williams, professor of visual arts at Beloit College. The online panel will be in an interview and conversation format with an opportunity for audience questions.
Sept. 17 (Thursday) is Constitution Day, which marks the 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia.
Ducksworth-Lawton is a board member of the Chippewa Valley Civil Liberties Union and was named by Madison365 as one of Wisconsin’s most influential black leaders. She is president of the Uniting Bridges organization and a member of the Eau Claire Police and Fire Commission.
Williams has been an active racial justice participant and in 2004 became the Beloit College’s first-ever tenured black professor. In 2019, he received the local YMCA’s annual Racial Justice Award. In conjunction with the Beloit School District, he organized and for 10 years was a member of a program tutoring and mentoring young people in the community.
Event sponsors
The Constitution Day event is sponsored by the UW-Stout Menard Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation (MCSII), its Center for Applied Ethics and the Dean of Students. Tim Shiell, the MCSII director, will host the discussion.
The virtual program, on the university’s Teams platform, is open to the public. Shiell can be contacted for an invitation at shiellt@uwstout.edu. It is not necessary to have the Teams platform to join the event, according to a UW-Stout press release.
Shiell said that MCSII holds an event honoring Constitution Day each year because of the crucial role civil liberties play in the document, its amendments, and our democratic system of government.
“Our 2020 topic is ‘Racial Injustice and the First Amendment’ because of the continuing race-related protests and counter protests around the country,” Shiell said.
“At a time when many people believe racial justice and the strong First Amendment rights are in fundamental conflict, when peaceful protests too often devolve into violence . . . and when bearing arms has become a common practice during protests, it will be fascinating to hear [the panelists’] views and responses to audience questions,” he added.
According to a recent study, 93% of recent protests have been peaceful while 7% involved some level of violence, Shiell said.
The MSCII’s mission is to promote the study and discussion of civil liberties and related institutions and innovations through scholarly inquiry, educational activities and community outreach.
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