Join the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and leaders from various sectors of society—from civic life and media to academia and civil rights—for an important town hall meeting entitled, “Unfinished Work: Race, Civility and Equality of Opportunity.” The town hall will feature a keynote speech by Dr. Stephen L. Carter, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law, Yale University, and best-selling author of The Emperor of Ocean Park and Jericho’s Fall. His non-fiction works include God’s Name in Vain: The Wrongs and Rights of Religion in Politics and Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy.

There will also be a lively panel discussion with esteemed educators, historians, elected officials and journalists. Participants and community members will explore the impact of race relations on the Atlanta region; consider the special role the tradition of civility has played in civic life in Atlanta – was “civility” a hallmark of relations between the races at the dawn of the Civil Rights Era? – and test new ways to work together on the “unfinished work” Lincoln spoke of at Gettysburg. The town hall event is part of a week-long celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, sponsored by the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. It is also the beginning of a series of conversations to take place across Atlanta about race.

A free public event hosted by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation along with several Atlanta area community organizations, the Atlanta town hall is one of eleven being held across the country under the broad theme of “Lincoln’s Legacy: Race, Freedom and Equality of Opportunity.” Inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s efforts to build an equal opportunity society, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission’s Lincoln Legacy Town Hall Meeting series seeks to build mutual understanding about differing perspectives on race and ethnicity and provide an opportunity to re-examine what it means to be American in the 21st century. Local sponsors of this event include the Georgia Humanities Council, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Morehouse College.

WHO:

Dr. Stephen L. Carter, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law, Yale University; Best-selling author, Jericho’s Fall (keynote speaker)

Jerry Gonzalez, executive director, Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) (panelist)

Angela Robinson, broadcast journalist; host, In Contact, Public Broadcasting Atlanta (moderator)

Manisha Sinha, associate professor, Afro-American Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (panelist)

WHEN:

Wednesday, December 9

5:00-6:00 p.m. Reception

6:00-8:30 p.m. Town Hall Meeting

WHERE:

The Carter Center, Cecil B. Day Chapel
453 Freedom Pkwy NE, Atlanta

REGISTRATION:

Event is free and open to the public. To register, visit www.LincolnLivesOn.com.

Co-conveners for this event include (list in formation): American Jewish Committee Atlanta, Anti-Defamation League; APEX Museum; Atlanta Daybook; Atlanta History Center; Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education; Atlanta Regional Commission; Bahai Community of Atlanta; Clayton State University; Civic League for Regional Atlanta; Communities in Schools Atlanta; Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta; Emory University- Transforming Community Project; Emory University- Center for Ethics; Exploritas; Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials; Georgia Humanities Council; Hands On Atlanta; Intergenerational Dialogues; Istanbul Center; Jimmy Carter Presidential Library; Kennesaw State University- Center for the Study of the Civil War Era; Latin American Association; Morehouse College; National Archives-Southeast Region, Morrow; National Center for Civil and Human Rights; Oglethorpe Museum of Art; Oglethorpe University; One World Archives; Representative Margaret Kaiser HD-59; Rialto Center for the Arts- Georgia State University, Save the Family Institute; UNCF- Institute for Capacity Building; United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta; University of Georgia Press; Wren’s Nest.

The Fetzer Institute of Kalamazoo, Michigan provided a major grant to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation to produce the Lincoln Legacy Town Hall Meetings. Additional funding has been provided by Prudential Financial Inc., The Marjorie Kovler Fund, McCormick Foundation, Motorola Foundation, and Canadian National.

Congress established the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to plan the nation’s celebration of the 16th president’s 200th birthday in 2009. The Commission works to engage the broadest range of individuals and groups in the commemoration. Through education programs, public forums, and the arts, the Commission provides an opportunity to re-examine Lincoln’s legacy in our 21st century democracy. Its members, who are appointed by the president and congressional leaders, include political leaders, jurists, historians and collectors. For more information, please visit www.abrahamlincoln200.org.

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Foundation which was established in 2007 is to continue and build upon the work begun by the ALBC: to educate the public about Lincoln; to serve as an honest broker in building collaborations; and to foster civic engagement grounded in Lincoln’s ideals of freedom, democracy, and equality of opportunity as a guide.

See Attachment for Event Flyer, Pass Along to Friends and Colleagues