Panel discussions on immigration and the Second Amendment and a concert are some of the events planned at Vanderbilt University in observance of Constitution Day/Citizenship Day on Sept. 17. Events at Vanderbilt are also planned prior to and following the official observance. All events are free and open to the public.
Constitution Day/Citizenship Day commemorates the Sept. 17, 1787, signing of the U.S. Constitution. In recognition, Congress has mandated that every educational institution receiving federal funding hold an educational program about the seminal document.
Vanderbilt’s events include:
Tuesday, Sept. 15
Panel Discussion: Immigrant Journeys in Nashville
4 p.m., Commons Center, Room 237
Panelists: Katharine Donato, Vanderbilt professor of sociology; Jonathan Hiskey, Vanderbilt associate professor of political science; and Elliott Ozment, immigration attorney at Ozment Law
Wednesday, Sept. 16
Undocumented Immigrants in an Era of Arbitrary Law: The Flight and the Plight of People Deemed “Illegal”
8 to 9:30 p.m., Commons Center, Room 237
Book presentation and signing by author and Vanderbilt professor Robert Barsky
Thursday, Sept. 17
Why Do I Smile: The Universal Unconcealed Weapon featuring the art of Omari Booker
5 p.m., Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center
Booker’s work examines topics such as alienation and acceptance, full citizenship and the meaning of the U.S. Constitution. Through his art, Booker asks such questions as “Who is really a full citizen?” The event includes a discussion of Booker’s work and a reception.
Booker’s art is currently on display through Sept. 30 at the university’s Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 17
Panel Discussion: Locked & Loaded – The Second Amendment in the 21st Century
7 p.m., Kissam Center, Multipurpose Room
Panelists: John Lachs, Centennial Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt; James Blumstein, University Professor of Constitutional Law and Health Law and Policy; Laurie Woods, Vanderbilt lecturer in sociology; Clive Mentzel, director of Vanderbilt’s Office of Active Citizenship and Service
Sunday, Sept. 20
Freedom Sings
5 p.m., Sarratt Cinema
A program of the First Amendment Center, Freedom Sings is a multimedia experience that features music that has been banned or censored or has sounded a call for social change.
Tuesday, Oct. 13
Panel Discussion: Por Mis Ojos – Through My Eyes
6 p.m., Commons Center, Room 237
A discussion of Nashville through the lens of Hispanic/Latino community leaders, the panelists include: Yuri Cunza, president and CEO of the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Mayra Alejandra Cervantes, marketing and community engagement coordinator for Conexion Americas; and Lorraine Lopez, Vanderbilt associate professor of English and Latino and Latina Studies.
The events are sponsored by the Vice Provost for Learning and Residential Affairs, the Office of the Dean of Students, College Halls, The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons and the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center.
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