![First Amendment Voice National Forum on Constitution Day in Philadelphia]()
by FirstAmendmentVoice | Aug 22, 2016 | Latest News, Upcoming Events
Save the date!
September 16th-18th is a national weekend of prayer for the nation commemorating Constitution Day.
If you can’t be there, make sure to TUNE IN to the Live Stream on September 17.
This year, JOIN First Amendment Voice in Philadelphia for a national forum where stakeholders can become involved in advocating for our First Amendment Freedoms. Engage with other like-minded leaders from across this nation in vital discussions and hear from key leaders and defenders of the First Amendment. The forum will include a high-level Town Hall Forum and conclude in celebrating our Constitutional ideals.
If you are a FAV stakeholder already, you get a discounted admission of $79. The regular registration is $149 after August 15th.
Register here today.
by FirstAmendmentVoice | Jul 24, 2016 | Upcoming Events
Join @1st_Amend on Twitter for discussions on our First Amendment Rights with hashtag #OwnYourLiberty on September 4th and Sept. 11th at 8:00pm EST.
Date: Sunday, Sept. 4th and Sept. 11th 2016
Time: 8:00-8:30pm EST
by FirstAmendmentVoice | Jul 15, 2016 | Advocacy, In The Spotlight
For added perspective on the challenges of policing and interactions in African American neighborhoods, FAV recommends Jill Leovy’s Ghettoside book. Leovy adds a new voice to understanding a way forward for America with respect to police forces and violence.
Read the LA Times book review here to learn more:
http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-jill-leovy-20150125-story.html
by FirstAmendmentVoice | Jul 15, 2016 | In The Media
In the News
The following article may help understand the current divisions within American society from a different perspective. Samuel Huntington was a famous social scientist who wrote important books that helped shape the thinking of intellectuals within American for decades. Jason Willick writes in the American Interest that one of Huntington’s lesser read theories may ultimately be playing out in today’s political environment. Read more at the link below.
http://www.the-american-interest.com/2016/07/14/how-samuel-huntington-predicted-our-political-moment/
The following piece is response from a police officer to recent shootings and protests about overzealous policing.
http://patch.com/virginia/lakeridge/s/ftch4/op-ed-what-most-of-us-good-cops-are-thinking-right-now
Here is an article about a local school controversy in Virginia over banning books from reading lists. Is this political correctness run amok or an instance of parental intervention to protect their children from obscene material? You be the judge.
http://www.chesterfieldobserver.com/news/2016-06-29/Front_Page/Sen_Chase_Librarians_should_be_dismissed.html
Another instance of free speech getting denied on a California campus. See this article about Cal State University – LA Campus attempting to prevent a conservative speaker from addressing students.
http://dailysignal.com/2016/05/23/ben-shapiro-fights-back-against-college-campus-free-speech-crackdowns/
by FirstAmendmentVoice | Jul 15, 2016 | Our Voice
The last two weeks have seen intense social unrest across the country with two different incidents of African American males being shot in Minnesota and Louisiana, followed by protests organized by the Black Lives Matter movement, and punctuated with a sniper killing five police officers and wounding numerous others including some civilians in Dallas.
Our national attention continues to struggle with affording movements like Black Lives Matter with their constitutional First Amendment rights of freedom of assembly and freedom to petition the government for grievance while encouraging all parties to seek civil and inclusive dialogue. President Obama hosted a national town hall meeting to address the subject. The President also spoke at the memorials for the Dallas police officers where former President Bush also joined him in a show of solidarity. The current political climate does not seem to encourage tolerance and respect amongst disagreeing parties, so the sitting and former Presidents attempted to provide the leadership that could bring us toward that goal.
FAV prays that our country is able to address racial bias and promote the aspirational principles set out in our founding documents, that all are created equal and should share in the benefits of liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness. At a time of national grieving and soul searching, we all need to play a constructive healing role in the dialogue. Our current strife is not just a policing issue or a matter for African Americans to deal with. It is a matter for all Americans to engage in and help chart an inclusive course of citizenship that moves the country toward our founding ideals.
