Not able to name the five freedoms of the First Amendment? First Amendment Days can help.

First Amendment Days is a weeklong event run by the First Amendment Committee, which is made up of members from the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication and the Iowa State Daily Media Group. This year’s events mark the 20th celebration of First Amendment Days and will take place from April 10 to 15.

“We believe that it’s the longest-running student-centered celebration of the First Amendment at any university or college across the nation,” said Julie Roosa, an adjunct assistant professor and First Amendment specialist at the Greenlee School. “It’s really just an opportunity for students and others in the community to learn about the First Amendment and then to actually exercise those five freedoms that are embedded in the First Amendment.”

The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, press, petition, assembly and religion; just remember SPPAR. Through a variety of events, the First Amendment Days will honor each of these freedoms and emphasize their importance.

“If you think about it, we use our First Amendment rights in some way, shape or form every single day,” Roosa said. “It’s such a vital aspect of who we are as a democracy here in the United States. And yet, so many of us don’t know about the First Amendment or don’t understand kinda how it works.”

This year’s First Amendment Days theme is “Dare to Speak, Dare to Listen.” Each event will connect in some way to this theme. These events include a lecture by Hon. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who presided over the case against USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar in 2018; dialogue session with Nicole Allaire, an associate teaching professor with the English department at Iowa State, about techniques to listening with empathy; and various other First Amendment workshops.

“All of our events are very relevant to what is going on,” said Laura Drummy, a senior majoring in journalism and mass communications and a member of the First Amendment Committee. “Just very excited to go to all of them.” 

A complete schedule of the First Amendment Days events can be found at First Amendment Days Schedule • Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication • Iowa State University (iastate.edu).