CHILDREN LEADING THE WAY TO CHANGE THE 18th ANNUAL LAW & SOCIETY WEEK IDENTIFIES PROVEN STRATEGIES

Contact: Linda Wallace, 215-751-8082, liswallace@ccp.edu

 

PHILADELPHIA (Feb. 23, 2017) — Over the years, Law and Society Week at Community College of Philadelphia has confronted issues of social justice and embraced civic engagement. This year, as thousands of Americans take to the streets in marches and protests, social change is a hotly debated topic, with renewed emphasis on children and young people as game changers.

One of the Law and Society Week panels looks at Children as Change Makersand explores the characteristics of youth who effectuate meaningful change in society. Mary Beth Tinker, an eighth grader who protested the Vietnam War by wearing a black armband to school, will be among the panelists. Her activism led to the 1969 case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District Supreme Court case, which defined free speech rights of juveniles. Alexis Werner, who started the nonprofit Seeds of Hope as a high school student, also will join the panel. Alexis created the nonprofit to help better understand and assist her father and others upon on their return from Afghanistan. David Trevaskis, Esq. Pro Bono Counsel of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, will serve as moderator. The program will be held from 2:40 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. Tuesday, February 28, 2017 in the Winnet Student Life Building (Great Hall, Room S2-19).

Additionally, an evening panel will explore the legal framework of the Tinker case more deeply. Titled The First Amendment Gets Personal: The Tinker Case, panelists include the Hon. Theodore McKee, judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and David Trevaskis, Esq., Pro Bono Counsel, Pennsylvania Bar Association, who will moderate the dialog. The event will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 28, 2017 in the Winnet Student Life Building (Great Hall, Room S2-19).

Youth transformation also is the theme of a third panel, Savage Inequities: A Tale of Two Schools. It will examine how school inequity affects youth, and rich and poor communities alike. The panel explores the lessons gleaned from a bus trip that students from Philadelphia’s Kensington Health Science High School took to Montgomery County’s Methacton High School to experience life at a wealthy, suburban high school for a day. The exchange opened eyes and hearts in unexpected ways. Anthony Maida, a teacher at Methacton, and James Williams,

Principal at Kensington Health Science will go beyond statistics and share how the experience changed perspectives for both groups. David Trevaskis will moderate. The panel will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, February 27 in the Center for Business and Industry (Room C2-28).

Law & Society Week spotlights emerging legal issues and trends in Philadelphia while providing practical advice from respected experts. More than two dozen workshops, lectures, panel discussions and demonstrations during the week are free and open to the public and attorneys. “When people see how law relates to the technology they use, the food they eat, and just about every topic imaginable, that’s a real light bulb moment for them,” explains Kathleen M. Smith, J.D., director of the Fox Rothschild Center of Law and Society, who launched Law and Society Week with husband David Freeman J.D., an associate professor of Social Science at the College.

Some of the Law and Society Week lectures qualify for Continuing Legal Education credits for legal professionals. To learn how to receive continuing education credits, contact LawCenter@ccp.edu

Among the other newsworthy sessions this year:

  • Answering the Call for Political Renewal: Many voters have lost faith in the ability of our political process to govern this country. What reforms should be on the agenda, locally and nationally, to restore that faith and the sense that democracy can work again? What can individuals do to help bring about those changes? David Thornburgh of the Committee of Seventy leads the panel. Thursday, March 2, 11:20 a.m. to 12:50 p.m., Bonnell Auditorium, Room BG-20, Bonnell Building
  • Promoting Intellectual Diversity in an Inclusive Environment: The Supreme Court has yet to rule directly on whether speech codes on college campuses violate the First Amendment. This panel will explore the boundaries of intellectual discourse on campuses and the concept of promoting a safe space for the free market of ideas. Wednesday, March 1, 9 to 10:20 a.m. Great Hall, Room S2-19, Winnet Student Life Building
  • Marijuana Law: What’s the Future? A panel will look at the state of laws on marijuana and discuss upcoming changes for Pennsylvania in the emerging medical marijuana and industrial hemp markets on Thursday, March 2, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Great Hall, Room S2-19, Winnet Student Life Building
  • Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto, Civil Rights and Legal Challenges: Octavius Catto was a renaissance man and civil rights activist who was murdered on Election Day, as he worked for voting rights. This spring, the City plans to unveil a memorial statue dedicated to Catto on the southwest apron of City Hall – the first African American individual so honored. Authors Dan Biddle and Murray Dubin will discuss their book, Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto and the Battle for Equality in Civil War America. This session will include discussions of the 1859 trial of a fugitive slave, legal battles over streetcar access and voting rights and related legal, judicial and ethical considerations. Wednesday, March 1, 6 to 7:30 p.m, Great Hall, Room S2-19, Winnet Student Life Building

Other highlights include:

  • A film on the life of Octavius Catto will be followed by a discussion on Wednesday, March 1, 1:50 to 2:50 p.m., Great Hall, Room S2-19, Winnet Student Life Building;
  • Author Cristina Henríquez will discuss her book, which highlights issues of immigrants and immigration to the United States on Thursday, March 2, 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Center for Business and Industry, Room C2-28.
  • A mobile command post operated by the Homeland Security Unit of the Philadelphia Police Department will offer tours on Thursday, March 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the West Philadelphia Regional Center, Main Entrance.

Law and Society Week closes on March 3 with the “Judicial Affairs Conference” from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, contact: LawCenter@ccp.edu For a full schedule of events, visit: www.ccp.edu/law-week

 

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Community College of Philadelphia is the largest public institution of higher education in Philadelphia and the sixth largest in Pennsylvania. The College enrolls approximately 34,000 students annually and offers day, evening, and weekend classes, as well as classes online. Visit the College at www.ccp.edu. Follow us on Twitter. Like us on Facebook.