Bullying, Free Speech and Juvenile Justice Among Workshops at ACLU-TN Students’ Rights Summit in Memphis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2013
Contact: Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director; (615) 320-7142
MEMPHIS, TN – On Friday, October 18, ACLU-TN will present the “Youth in Action: Students’ Rights Summit,” as part of the 2013 Gandhi-King Youth Conference. The summit offers the middle and high school students of the Shelby County School District and the surrounding area the opportunity to explore how the Constitution affects them in their day-to-day lives.
Participants will have the opportunity to choose from interactive workshops outlining students’ rights on issues including privacy, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and expression, juvenile justice, bullying, youth activism, LGBTQ equality, and interactions with law enforcement.
Workshop leaders include Shelby County Commissioner and University of Memphis law professor Steven J. Mulroy, Tennessee Youth Court Program Coordinator Denise Bentley, Memphis Public Library Collection Development Manager Alan Stewart, SisterReach CEO Cherisse Scott, Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center Executive Director Will Batts, ACLU of Tennessee board member and Attorney Partner at Apperson Crump, PLC Bruce S. Kramer, and student representatives of the Memphis Branch NAACP’s Youth Council.
“This summit will provide the students of the Shelby County area the opportunity to explore how the Bill of Rights actually affects them every day, in the halls of their schools and on the streets of their neighborhoods,” said Claire Gardner, ACLU-TN community engagement associate and event organizer. “We’re excited to connect youth with community leaders to discuss how they can leverage their rights to empower themselves and initiate the change they want to see in the world.”
ACLU-TN is the only statewide organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the constitutional guarantees of the Bill of Rights. An affiliate of the national ACLU, ACLU-TN is a private, non-profit, non-partisan membership organization.
The summit is being offered as part of the Gandhi-King Youth Conference, cosponsored by BRIDGES and Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. The conference is for middle and high school students only. Registration and breakfast are from 7:30-8:30 a.m. on the day of the conference. The program will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m. Cost of attendance is $20 per student, but scholarships are available. Breakfast and lunch will be provided free of charge. The conference will be held at the BRIDGES Center, located at 477 North 5th Street in Memphis.
Registration will remain open during the week leading up to the conference. For more information, please visit http://www.bit.ly/SRSGKYC or call (615) 320-7142.
