Thought Leaders From Across The Political Spectrum Discuss Freedom At The National Constitution Center

PHILADELPHIA, April 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, April 13, Thomas Jefferson's birthday, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will bring together the top conservative, liberal, and libertarian thought leaders in America for a national conversation about the future of freedom. The program features prominent think tank leaders including presidents from the American Enterprise Institute, the Aspen Institute, the Cato Institute, the ACLU, and the Center for American Progress, all of whom will gather to discuss the future of freedom.

The event, livestreamed on the Constitution Center's website at http://constitutioncenter.org/live, includes a keynote address about freedom and the immigrant experience by Mike Bezos, vice president and co-founder, Bezos Family Foundation, in conversation with Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of The Aspen Institute. It will also include panels on the future of free religious liberty, co-sponsored by the Aspen Institute, and on the future of free speech, co-sponsored by the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society. The one-day symposium will help prepare for a nationwide celebration of freedom — called Freedom Day — that the National Constitution Center is organizing for 2016. By bringing together the top leaders in America to discuss what the left and the right agree about the future of freedom, the event will inspire organizations around the country to celebrate freedom on Jefferson's birthday in 2016 and beyond.

The program begins at 2:30 p.m. with a tour of the Constitution Center followed by a welcome reception. The first discussion and livestream, beginning at 4:00 p.m., is titled, "On the Front Lines of Religious Liberty." The conversation features: Kristina Arriaga, executive director, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; Michael Gerson, op-ed columnist, The Washington Post; and Gregory Lipper, senior litigation counsel, Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The discussion will be moderated by Meryl Chertoff, executive director, Justice and Society Program, The Aspen Institute.

At 5:00 p.m. the second discussion, "The Fight for Freedom in the 21^st Century," begins and features: Arthur Brooks, president, American Enterprise Institute; Peter Goettler, president and CEO, Cato Institute;  Walter Isaacson; Neera Tanden, president, Center for American Progress; and Anthony Romero, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union. The discussion will be moderated by Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO, National Constitution Center.

After the 6:15 p.m. keynote address from Mike Bezos and Walter Isaacson, the final discussion, beginning at 6:45 p.m., will address free speech. This discussion, "Free Speech: Where the Left and the Right Agree and Disagree," features a diverse group of panelists, including: Mark Holden, vice president and general counsel, Koch Industries; Greg Lukianoff, president and CEO, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education; William Marshall, William Ran Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law; and Bradley A. Smith, 2013-15 Judge John T. Copenhaver Visiting Endowed Chair of Law, West Virginia University College of Law. The discussion will be moderated by Jeffrey Rosen.

Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, said, "The National Constitution Center is the only institution in these polarized times where people across America and around the world can come together to debate, celebrate, and educate themselves about the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. We are thrilled to bring together such an impressive array of thought leaders to discuss what conservatives, liberals, and libertarians agree about the future of freedom."

Frayda Levin, a libertarian philanthropist who developed the symposium in conjunction with the National Constitution Center, said, "The purpose of Freedom Day is to help people appreciate what freedoms we enjoy every day in our lives."

About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia is only institution in America where people of all perspectives across the U.S. and around the globe can debate, celebrate and educate themselves about the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. As the Museum of We the People on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, America's Town Hall, and a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Center hosts a wealth of programs and exhibitions on the U.S. Constitution. For more information, visit constitutioncenter.org. 

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SOURCE National Constitution Center