CAC Welcomes First Amendment Advocate Kelly Hayes to Celebrate Constitution Week

 CAC Constitution Week Forum Monday September 16th at 6:30 pm at the Center

To commemorate Constitution Day, Celebrate First Amendment Freedoms, and Inspire Civic Participation!  

    Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing  of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787.  Celebrating Constitution Day provides an opportunity for the public to  remember the importance of a document held in esteem worldwide for empowering  “We the People” with the rights and responsibilities to engage in the democratic  process.  The First Amendment  Freedoms, (freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to petition our  government, freedom to assemble, and freedom of religion) are essential  components that ensure a healthy democracy and the capacity to hold government  accountable.  
  
     “Constitution Week recognizes the importance of our  founding document by introducing students and adults to constitutional issues  through dynamic speakers with first-hand knowledge of what it means to fight for
 freedom.  Ms. Hayes’ experiences  illustrate the tensions in our democracy while sharing a remarkable journey in
 First Amendment advocacy, ” said Maryam Judar, community lawyer at the Citizen  Advocacy Center. 
 
     In collaboration with area high schools, and made  possible with support from the McCormick Foundation, the focus of this year’s  Constitution Week is the constitutional right to peaceful assembly in protesting  government activity.  As with  previous Constitution Week speakers, the Citizen Advocacy Center is highlighting  the importance of a robust legal infrastructure for public participation and is  not endorsing any particular position on the specific issues Ms. Hayes is  passionate about.  
  
     Ms. Hayes is a youth organizer who has participated in  several community organizing initiatives.  These include planning of the Chicago  NATO protest in the Spring of 2012; Chicago Occupy Protests; and opposition to  the City of Chicago’s ordinance curtailing First Amendment rights, dubbed by the  press as the “Sit Down and Shut Up Ordinance.”  She is also a Non Violent Direct Action  (NVDA) trainer.  Her advocacy has  focused on combating austerity measures by government as well as advocating for  social justice issues.  She is  presently involved in the battle for public education in Chicago and in the  creation of a city wide series of NVDA trainings for student activists.  
 
     While in the western suburbs, Ms. Hayes will speak to hundreds of high  school students, including those at York High School in Elmhurst and Glenbard  South in Glen Ellyn, about utilizing her First Amendment freedoms to peaceably  assemble and petition the government.   Students will hear her first-hand accounts and have the opportunity to  ask questions.  Community lawyer  Maryam Judar will accompany Ms. Hayes to provide the constitutional context for  her participation in the government decision making process.

     The Citizen Advocacy Center is a non-profit, non-partisan community based legal organization dedicated to building democracy for the 21st Century by increasing the citizenry’s capacities, resources, and institutions for self-governance.  The Citizen Advocacy Center is funded entirely through contributions from individuals and foundations.  We do not accept corporate or government funding.  This allows us to maintain our independence and provide unbiased advice, analysis, and commentary.