Oscar and Grammy-Nominated Artist Common Headlines LMU's First Amendment Week

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Oscar-nominated songwriter, hip-hop artist and actor Common will headline Loyola Marymount University's First Amendment Week celebration as a keynote speaker on Tues., Feb. 24, at 6 p.m.

The winner of a 2015 Golden Globe Award for the song "Glory", which he co-wrote with singer/songwriter John Legend for this year's Best Picture nominee,  "Selma", Common will discuss the role First Amendment rights have played in his personal and professional life and how college-aged students can make the most of the right to free expression.

Common is the founder of the Common Ground Foundation, a non-profit organization offering programs dedicated to developing leadership, civil engagement, and creative expression in young people.  He is also a supporter HIV/AIDs awareness and animal rights.

The second keynote speaker for First Amendment Week is Eboo Patel, one of the country's foremost experts on interfaith cooperation, who will speak on Weds., Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.

Patel will explore the state of religious pluralism in the 21^st century.

"We live in a world where the forces that seek to divide us are strong," says Patel. "To overcome them, we must do more than simply stand next to one another in silence."

The goal of LMU's First Amendment Week is to raise awareness in the campus community about the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the freedoms it provides and the actions it protects.

For more information visit http://studentaffairs.lmu.edu/.

First Amendment Week is presented by Los Angeles Loyolan newspaper and co-sponsored by Associated Students of Loyola Marymount University.

About Loyola Marymount University
Located between the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive university offering 60 major programs, 36 master's degrees and a doctoral degree in education from four colleges, two schools and Loyola Law School. Founded in 1911, LMU is ranked third in "Best Regional Universities/West" by U.S. News & World Report. LMU is the largest Jesuit Catholic university for undergraduates on the West Coast with more than 6,000 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law students. For more LMU news and events, please visit www.lmu.edu/news.

Need an expert for your story? Visit www.lmu.edu/experts to find the right faculty or staff member. For more LMU news and events, go to www.lmu.edu/news.

SOURCE Loyola Marymount University