FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2018
CONTACT: ACLU-TN Communications, 615-320-7142
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and Fisk University have partnered to present a "Know Your Rights" workshop on Thursday, September 27 in North Nashville. The event will educate students and community members about their rights when interacting with law enforcement.
The interactive presentation will be given by ACLU-TN Legal Director Thomas H. Castelli and ACLU-TN Board Member Jared Mollenkof. Together, they will explore policing issues including Miranda Rights, searches and privacy, and what to do when someone's rights have been violated.
"Responsible citizenship requires being informed. We see this workshop as another opportunity for Fisk to collaborate, to educate and motivate our students, as well as the surrounding community," stated Jennifer Adebanjo, Ph.D., head of the Political Science Department at Fisk. "It is critical that our community recognizes and acts on that which affects our quality of life."
"The students and communities surrounding historically Black colleges and universities have always been instrumental in the fight for racial justice," said Claire Gardner, ACLU-TN community engagement associate. "As Nashville continues to debate the disparate impact the criminal justice system has on communities of color and what to do about it, we want to ensure that students and community members know their constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement."
The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to register to vote before and after the workshop.
The event is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Appleton Room in Fisk University's Jubilee Hall, located at 1000 17th Avenue North.
The Fisk workshop is the final workshop in a series presented by ACLU-TN at several Middle Tennessee historically Black colleges and universities this fall. The workshop series is made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
More information can be found at https://www.aclu-tn.org/know-your-rights-when-interacting-with-law-enforcement-fisk/ or by calling (615) 320-7142.
About ACLU-TN
At the forefront of civil liberties battles across Tennessee, ACLU-TN employs a range of strategies including advocacy, education, legislative lobbying and litigation to ensure that Tennesseans' constitutional freedoms are being protected. An affiliate of the national ACLU, ACLU-TN is a private, non-profit, non-partisan membership organization.
About Fisk University
Founded in 1866, Fisk University is a private, liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee. Consistently recognized for its brand of academic excellence, Fisk ranks in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report's prestigious Tier One of Liberal Arts institutions and the Top 10 rankings of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Fisk was also ranked #3 for most awarded research expenditures in the 2017 rankings of National Liberal Arts Institutions by The Washington Monthly. To learn more about Fisk University, please visit www.fisk.edu.
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