Augusta University is hosting a public lecture to discuss the importance of the First Amendment on March 12 in the Summerville Campus’ Jaguar Student Activities Center (JSAC) at 5:30 p.m.
AU’s Libraries and Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is partnering will host the third annual Future of the First Amendment with guest speaker Lee Rowland, the executive director for the National Coalition against Censorship.
The event will be in the Roscoe Williams Ballroom, located within the Student Activities Center.
Past years’ have featured attorney Frank LoMonte, a legal counsel for CNN, and Freedom Forum Executive Director Gene Policinski, because AU’s Department of Communication Chair David Bulla and other university figures believe in the significance of citizens’ freedoms.
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“We’re extremely fortunate in the United States to have a law, in this case an Amendment to the Constitution, that gives citizens the right to worship as they please, to speak and write as they please, to publish as they please, to peacefully assemble in public and to petition their government on grievances,” Bulla said. “… about 90% of the world is not free.”
However, as a result of the proposed Georgia Senate Bill 390, Bulla said the lecture’s previous keynote speaker, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, decided to cancel her appearance in light of the controversy surrounding the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
“David Kearns, the other steering force behind ‘Future of the First Amendment,’ who represents the university’s libraries, said, ‘unforeseen circumstances make it necessary for Deborah Caldwell-Stone to withdraw from the event,’” Bulla said.
If passed, the bill would greatly loosen restrictions on librarian certification, while prohibiting “taxpayer or privately donated funds from going to the American Library Association,” the document stated.
Bulla said it could decrease, if not altogether cut, funding to any programs associated with the ALA – a 150-year-old organization – which would significantly affect several libraries within the state, including AU’s and the University of Georgia’s facilities.
“It’s amending a policy of the University System of Georgia and all county and regional public libraries, which would include Richmond and Columbia County’s libraries,” said Bulla. “It would also affect Valdosta State’s library science degree, accredited by the ALA, which is problematic.”
According to Bulla, a lobbying group has targeted ALA with the proposed document following the backlash of additional LGBTQ+ books being added to libraries.
“I’m a little concerned and baffled at this ruling,” he said. “I don’t know where it’s going to go, but it’s being pushed and we’ll see what happens.”
As a professor and father of two, Bulla said he believes the bill will only encourage the state government to begin dangerously treading into book censorship and banning.
“My feeling, as a parent, is that it’s our duty to decide what boundaries are. I don’t want the government to do it, whether it’s Georgia, South Carolina’s or the United States government,” he said. “I don’t want anybody telling me what I can’t or can’t read … aren’t we smart enough to raise our children? I think so.”
In Caldwell-Stone’s absence, Bulla said the university was able to secure Rowland, who specializes in legally fighting for the First Amendment rights and freedoms.
“It’s extremely disappointing that Caldwell-Stone will not be able to speak, however, Lee Rowland will give an excellent talk that will be highly engaging with students, faculty, staff, administrators and citizens of Georgia and South Carolina,” he said.
Based in New York, the National Coalition against Censorship is an alliance of 59 national non-profit organizations.
With an estimated 30 to 40 minutes of lecture, Rowland’s “Speech and Censorship in a Digital Age”lecture will be followed by an audience Q & A portion.
“Rowland’s talk is so important because everything has changed because of the internet and the smartphone, along with social media,” said Bulla. “It’s controlled in a very different way.”
Prior to joining the National Coalition against Censorship, Rowland served for over a decade as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, the Brennan Center for Justice, and the New York Civil Liberties Union.
With extensive experience as a litigator and lobbyist, Rowland has served as legal counsel in several federal First Amendment cases involving public employee speech rights, rights of community advocates, government regulation of digital speech and state secrecy surrounding the lethal injection process.
“I think it will be a lot of fun,” Bulla said. “We want to celebrate the First Amendment, and we also want to think of where it’s going to be down the road with this new platform of the internet.”
For those interested in attending the Future of the First Amendment event, the JSAC is located at 2500 Walton Way.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
