Centenary's annual Constitution Day event to focus on free speech and civil discourse
SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College’s annual Constitution Day observance on Thursday, September 12, includes two public events with guest speaker Dr. Paul Finkelman. Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the United States Constitution in September 1787 and is celebrated across the country with local events focused on constitutional history and citizenship. The College’s Constitution Day is co-sponsored by the Centenary History and Political Science Department and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
Finkelman, a legal historian, will present a lecture entitled “Free Speech and Civil Discourse” at 11:10 a.m. in Kilpatrick Auditorium. That evening, he will facilitate a talkback following a 6:00 p.m. screening of the documentary One Person, One Vote? in the Whited Room in Bynum Commons. Both events are free and open to the public.
Finkelman is a specialist in American legal history, constitutional law and American Constitutional history, and the intersection of law and issues of religion, civil liberties, civil rights, and race relations. Most recently serving as Robert F. Boden Visiting Professor of Law at Marquette University School of Law, he is a prolific author whose legal scholarship has been cited in six United States Supreme Court decisions as well as in many federal and state court decisions. Finkelman has appeared on PBS, C-Span, NBC, and CBS to offer expert commentary and legal analysis and has lectured on human trafficking and human rights issues at the United Nations as well as throughout the United States and around the world.
One Person, One Vote?, directed by Maximina Juson, examines the United States Electoral College as it follows four presidential electors representing different parties in Colorado during the 2020 election. The documentary was funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities grant and won the Programmers’ Award for Best Documentary Feature following its premiere at the Pan African Film Festival.
Centenary’s 2024 Constitution Day observance is funded under a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information, contact Dr. Amanda Donahoe at adonahoe@centenary.edu.