In an effort to activate a deeper understanding of Free Speech and First Amendment issues across the country, the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, in collaboration with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, will hold four regional symposia around the United States. We are pleased to announce that the first one will be in St. Paul, Minnesota, and co-hosted by Hamline University.

Free Speech at the Crossroads: A Minnesota Dialogue will take place Monday-Wednesday, September 18-20, 2023, with the first day at the Knight Foundation offices in downtown St. Paul, and the subsequent two days on the campus of Hamline University.

This event is made possible by its co-sponsors Georgetown University, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Hamline University, the Star Tribune, the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, and the Wayfinder Foundation.

*On the day of the event(s), a webinar link will be available to all virtual attendees.

Featured Panels include:

Day 1 – September 18th

• The State of Free Speech in America Today (2:45 pm – 4:00 pm CDT)
• Minnesota’s Checkered History with Free Expression (4:15 pm – 5:30 pm CDT)
• A Fireside Chat: Can the Media Help Create a Nonpartisan National Discussion on Free Speech? (5:30 pm – 6:30 pm CDT)

Day 2 – September 19th

• “Parental Rights” and Book Banning (9:30 am -10:45 am CDT)

• Protecting the Right to Protest (11:00 am -12:15 pm CDT)

• Stand-Up Comedy and Free Expression (1:30 – 2:45 pm CDT)

• Immigrants, Refugees, Religious and Ethnic Minorities, and the First Amendment (3:00 pm – 4:15 pm CDT)

• A Debate: Should Social Media Be Regulated by Government? (4:30 pm – 5:30 pm CDT)

Day 3 – September 20th

• Viewpoint Diversity: Listening to Another Side (9:15 am -10:30 am CDT)
• Hate Speech in Politics and Education (10:45 am -12:00 pm CDT)