Constitution Cafe Discussions

Monday, September 18

What does the ‘liberal’ in ‘liberal arts’ mean? The difference between constitutional freedom of speech and academic freedom of speech
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
The First Amendment grants a very broad freedom of speech, including the right to proclaim falsities as truth and to denounce those who disagree with us as evil. Within the academic community, slightly different parameters apply. “Liberal� speech is informed by consideration of multiple points of view, and is free speech of a particular sort. It entails both constraints (such as the rules of logic or scientific inquiry), and protections (such as tenure, which prevents a faculty member from being fired because of his/her political views). How can these very different notions of “free speech� be reconciled?

Discussion Leader
Susan Erickson, Indiana University School of Liberal Arts, IUPUI
Susan Erickson is a Trustees' Lecturer of Political Science at IUPUI. She teaches courses about the news media and politics, gender and sex roles, and the real and manufactured world of conspiracies. Freedom of speech lies at the heart of many of her courses, which deal with such issues as freedom of the press and the use of speech by militant, extremist, and fringe religious groups.

Location
Democracy Plaza
IUPUI campus breezeway adjacent to University Library
735 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202

Democracy Plaza at IUPUI is a large common area for expressing opinions and exchanging ideas in “an atmosphere of fair play,� according to the plaza’s posted guidelines, the space is surrounded by a wall on which faculty, staff, and students scribble questions, ideas, and responses in colorful chalk. Hundreds of people at a time have showed up for outdoor rallies, and more still join in the plaza’s ongoing political expression.

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Who are We the People Anyway?
Personhood, Citizenship and The U.S. Constitution
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Note Special Sunset Time - Arrive on time to witness the beautiful change of light to dusk in the globe-style auditorium of the Old Centrum!

Traditionally we Americans have regarded ourselves as a "nation of immigrants", and our national identity has not been based on any one specific ethnicity or religion. Instead, the concept of "American" has been grounded in an increasingly inclusive, "civic" identity consistent with the ideal of pluralism. This ideal was not realized even when immigration was largely from European countries; discrimination against Italian, Irish, and Jewish Americans was commonplace. African Americans were excluded from full citizenship for generations. As America becomes demographically more Latino and Asian, and with Islam as the country's fastest growing religion, do we have the will to advocate inclusiveness and pluralism as our national ideal?

Discussion Leaders
Pierre Atlas, Marian College
Pierre Atlas is an assistant professor of political science and director of the Franciscan Center for Global Studies at Marian College. He writes a bi-weekly opinion column for the Indianapolis Star and a monthly online column for RealClearPolitics.com. Pierre obtained his Ph.D. in political science from Rutgers University in 2000, and also holds Master's and Bachelor's degrees in political science from the University of Arizona and the University of Toronto, respectively. His specialization is Middle East politics and the Arab-Israeli conflict, and he also teaches courses in American politics and U.S. foreign policy.

Charlie Wiles, Peace Learning Center
Charlie Wiles holds a degree in Political Science from Indiana University. He spent several years working for the Indiana State Legislature, started a general contracting business renovating older homes, and served as a combat medic in the US Army Reserves from 1991-1999. In 1997 he was founding director of Peace Learning Center, a not-for-profit organization focused on teaching youth nonviolent methods to resolve conflict. Currently he coordinates interfaith/intercultural programs and lives with his wife, Sachiko, and two daughters, Lena and Aya, on the north side of Indianapolis.

Location
The Auditorium of the Old Centrum
1201 North Central Ave.
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
(317) 637-4408

Built as the Central Avenue United Methodist Church in 1892, the facility and its stewards have played a significant role in the social and cultural history of Indianapolis. During the peak of the Social Gospel era in the early 20th Century, the church and its membership battled for child labor laws, developed health care programs for the poor and helped form three enduring institutions: Methodist Hospital, Wheeler Rescue Mission and Goodwill Industries. The church also served as parent to St. Luke's United Methodist Church and played a key role in the development of what is now known as the Old Northside Neighborhood.

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Tuesday, September 19

Hate Speech, Pornography, Prayer before Football Games:
What are Legitimate Limits to Free Speech?
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
Everyone knows you can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater, but are there other limits to free speech? When does free expression cross the line into doing actual harm to others or excluding them from the political community? Come talk about the hard cases involving hatred, pornography, religious expression, and more.

Discussion Leader
Art Farnsley, American Values Alliance
Art Farnsley is a founding member and executive director of the American Values Alliance, an Indiana-based, grass-roots group committed to civility, fair play, and honesty in the electoral process. His scholarly work illuminates the relationship between religious and political culture. Farnsley has written books on denominational politics in the Southern Baptist Convention, the role of congregations in welfare reform, and religion’s influence on the development of Indianapolis. His current research involves interviewing flea market vendors about their religious and political beliefs.

Location
Democracy Plaza
IUPUI campus breezeway adjacent to University Library
735 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202

Democracy Plaza at IUPUI is a large common area for expressing opinions and exchanging ideas in “an atmosphere of fair play,� according to the plaza’s posted guidelines, the space is surrounded by a wall on which faculty, staff, and students scribble questions, ideas, and responses in colorful chalk. Hundreds of people at a time have showed up for outdoor rallies, and more still join in the plaza’s ongoing political expression.

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Can we have national security without sacrificing our core American values?
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Fearing further terrorist attacks after 9/11, a large part of the American public supported giving up freedoms (or the freedoms of particular groups) in exchange for greater security. The result was the USA PATRIOT Act. At the same time, the President has claimed that protecting national security requires bypassing Congress and the courts on issues such as domestic surveillance and torture of suspected terrorists. The Framers of the Constitution would not be surprised by these developments. It was why they sought to protect individuals from fearful majorities by ensuring inalienable rights that the government cannot restrict, and why they divided powers among the braches of government in order to constrain the Executive’s power. How can we tell if the government has gone too far in its search for security, or if it has not gone far enough? What can citizens do to maintain the balance between security and individual rights?

Discussion Leader
Claudia Porretti, ACLU of Indiana
Claudia Peña Porretti was recently appointed Executive Director of the ACLU of Indiana. Prior to her appointment, she was the Director of Development and Communications for HVAF of Indiana, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating homelessness for veterans and their families and also served as the Director of Development and Special Events for La Plaza, a nonprofit Hispanic organization that provides programs and services to the central Indiana Latino community. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Indiana Institute of Technology and a J.D. from Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis.

Location
The Athenaeum Foundation
401 East Michigan Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
(317) 630-3301

The Athenaeum was originally built in the late 1890s to house German societies of Indianapolis, including the Sozialer Turnverein. Das Deutsche Haus (The German House), as it was known prior to World War I, was built in the German Renaissance Revival style and housed a gymnasium, locker rooms, meeting rooms, restaurant, auditorium, bowling alleys, concert hall, and a beer garden. In 1907, it became the home for the Normal College of the North American Gymnastic Union, the country’s oldest institution for physical education training. Although the Normal College eventually merged with Indiana University and moved to IUPUI, today the Athenaeum still houses the city’s oldest restaurant (1894), gymnasium (1894), theater space (1898), and orchestra (1883). Both the Athenaeum Foundation, a nonprofit organization that maintains the building, and the Rathskeller restaurant can be reached at (317) 630-4569.

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Wednesday, September 20

International Agreements in War Time
Do U.S. Signatures on a Treaty Mean Anything?
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
The War in Iraq and the apparently broader series of events called the War on Terror challenge those Americans who believe in international treaties. Can the President dismiss the relevance of the Geneva Conventions? Will the Congress let him? What will the consequences be in terms of International Law and our chances of conducting a successful foreign policy?

Discussion Leader
Edward DeLaney, DeLaney & DeLaney LLC
Ed DeLaney is one of Indiana’s most experienced trial lawyers. He has handled a wide array of cases for more than 30 years, trying cases throughout the US and in Europe. His principal areas of expertise are business disputes, securities law, estate-related controversies, First Amendment issues, and access to records litigation. DeLaney has also been active in international trade work, especially relating to the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
DeLaney has a B.A. and an M.A. in International Relations from the State University of New York at Binghamton. After serving in the United States Navy, he attended the Harvard Law School and graduated with Honors in 1973. At the end of 2003, he retired as a Partner from the firm of Barnes & Thornburg where he had practiced since 1973. In January 2005, Ed joined DeLaney & DeLaney.

Location
Democracy Plaza
IUPUI campus breezeway adjacent to University Library
735 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202

Democracy Plaza at IUPUI is a large common area for expressing opinions and exchanging ideas in “an atmosphere of fair play,� according to the plaza’s posted guidelines, the space is surrounded by a wall on which faculty, staff, and students scribble questions, ideas, and responses in colorful chalk. Hundreds of people at a time have showed up for outdoor rallies, and more still join in the plaza’s ongoing political expression.

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Thursday, September 21

Taking private property for public use:
When and how should the power of eminent domain be employed?
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Historically, there are many examples of governments seizing private property for public use whether to build roads, military bases, hydroelectric plants, or other projects deemed necessary for “the public good�. As the definition of “public good� has broadened to include private redevelopment in communities across the country, the issue of when and how to apply eminent domain has become hotly debated. How can public good be defined in a way that respects individual rights?

Discussion Leaders
Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, AM 1430 Radio
Abdul-Hakim Shabazz is the host of "Abdul in the Mornings" which can be heard weekday mornings from 5-9 on Newstalk 1430 AM, WXNT. Shabazz’s program focuses on local, state and national issues. His guests have included Governor Mitch Daniels, Mayor Bart Peterson, House Speaker Brian Bosma and Indianapolis City-County Council President Steve Talley.
In addition to hosting the morning show, Shabazz is also an attorney, adjunct faculty member at Ivy Tech State College, columnist for the Indianapolis Business Journal and stand-up comedian.
Prior to coming to Indianapolis, Shabazz hosted a morning radio talk show in Springfield, IL. Before that he was an assistant to the Illinois Attorney General, and he’s also been a reporter in Central Illinois.

Jeffrey Stake, Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington
Jeffrey Stake is a professor of law at Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington. He teaches Property, Wills and Trusts, and Land-Use Controls, and has had visiting appointments at Illinois, Colorado, Georgetown, and Paris II (Pantheon-Assas). His research focuses primarily on property law and family law. His interdisciplinary approach brings principles of economics, psychology, and evolution to bear on legal issues from alimony and adverse possession to the Rule against Perpetuities. He is a founding member, and current Vice-President, of the Society for Evolutionary Analysis of Law.

Location
Shapiro’s Downtown
808 S Meridian St
Indianapolis, Indiana 46225
(317) 631-4041
Discussion will be held in back room of Shapiro’s. Parking available in Shapiro’s parking lot.

Shapiro’s opened its doors to customers in 1905 as a storefront grocery. Louis Shapiro, a Russian immigrant, sold kosher meats and groceries to the southside Jewish community. After prohibition, Shapiro began to sell cold beers, and eventually deli sandwiches, corned beef, and pastrami at the request of customers. The grocery store closed in the late 1930s, but the deli business prospered. Today, the downtown location seats over 200 people, and a second deli opened in Carmel in 2002.

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The War Powers Clause (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11),
and the U.S. Constitution Today
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Constitution gives to Congress the exclusive right to declare war, while designating the President commander-in-chief of the military. How realistic is this division of power? In the country's history, Congress has declared war just five times (most recently in World War II), while the President has deployed troops outside the US more than 200 times. In response to 9/11, President Bush has asserted an unprecedented array of rights to wage war, without the consent of Congress - even in spite of opposition of Congress. In waging war, what should be the proper balance between Congress and the President? What should be the balance between the Constitution and security in an age of terrorism?

Discussion Leaders
Andy Jacobs, Former Member of Congress
Andy Jacobs is a retired United States Congressman who served fifteen terms representing the 10th District of Indiana. While in office, Jacobs helped write the 1965 Voting Rights Act, led the House of Representatives' all-night debate on the Vietnam War in 1969, and served on the Ways and Means Committee.
Jacobs received a B.A. and a J.D. from Indiana University. Prior to serving in Washington, Andy worked as a Marion County police officer, served as a Marine in the Korean War, and was elected to the Indiana General Assembly in 1958.
His most recent book is 1600 Killers: A Wake-Up Call for Congress (New Iraq Edition), published in 2006.

John Clark, Sagamore Institute for Policy Research
John Clark is a Senior Fellow at a href="http://www.sipr.org/">Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, where he researches international security; international development; European issues; immigration; and civil society at the local, national, and international levels. He has written on a wide range of topics, including organized crime in the former U.S.S.R., Polish political economy, the immigration of skilled workers into the United States, Northeast Asian international security, welfare reform, and U.S. intervention in Central Asia.
Clark is an adjunct professor of Political Science at IUPUI and often teaches courses at Butler University and Cathedral High School. He also teaches courses about terrorism to the FBI's Midwest Counterterrorism Taskforce
Clark received his B.A. from the University of Washington, and he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Location
The Indiana Historical Society
Indiana History Center
450 West Ohio St.
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
(317) 232-1882
Parking available at Indiana History Center.

The Indiana Historical Society first formed in 1830 with such aims as collecting materials that relate to the “natural, civil, and political history of Indiana� and the “promotion of useful knowledge.� After many years of few meetings and low membership, the IHS was reorganized in 1886. Since then, it has met annually and now publishes bulletins, books, newsletters, and other materials, including one Pulitzer Prize-winning book published in 1950. The IHS’s William Henry Smith Memorial Library, established in 1922, houses one of the world’s largest collections of Indiana and Old Northwest history-related material that includes more than 1.6 million photographs and 7,400 manuscript collections.

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Friday September 22

Who's First Amendment?
Reclaiming the Public Interest in Our Media
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
It sure isn’t your father's media: five mega-corporations own most of the nation's newspapers and broadcasters, while bloggers and internet sites proliferate. What is news, what is “infotainment�? Where do Americans get the information required for informed voting and self-government? What kinds of information are protected by the First Amendment, and why? In this discussion we will examine Freedom of the Press, blogs, traditional news outlets, “Net Neutrality�, the ongoing efforts to revive public access in Indianapolis, and more!

Discussion Leaders
Sheila Kennedy, Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IUPUI
Sheila Kennedy is an Associate Professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, where she teaches law and public policy. She is a member of Indiana University Philanthropic Studies faculty, a Faculty Fellow with both the Center for Religion and American Culture in the School of Liberal Arts and the Tobias Center of the Kelley School of Business, and an adjunct professor of political science.
Kennedy has practiced law in Indianapolis, served on the city’s Corporation Counsel, was president of a real estate development company from 1997-1992, and was Executive Director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, a position she held until she joined the faculty of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs in 1998.

Andrea Price, Public Access of Indianapolis
Andrea Price is President of the Board for Public Access of Indianapolis, Inc. (PAI), a non-profit organization that promotes community-based media and is working to restore public access television in Indianapolis. A native of Indianapolis, Andrea is a graduate of Arlington High School and the University of Notre Dame where she received a B.S. in computer engineering and a B.A. in modern languages. She has worked in the computer industry for 20 years.
http://www.indyaccess.org

Location
Indiana Repertory Theatre
140 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
(317) 635-5252
Parking available at Circle Center Mall. Parking garage entrance just west of Meridian St. & Washington St. intersection.

The Indiana Repertory Theatre is the only non-profit Indiana resident theatre that produces a full season of plays using full-time professionals. The IRT was founded in 1972 by three doctoral students from Indiana University-Bloomington after their nation-wide search for a theatre location led them to Indianapolis. The first eight seasons of the theatre were held in the Athenaeum, a building constructed for Indianapolis German societies in the late 1890s. In 1980, the IRT moved to its current location, the Indiana Theatre, a Spanish Baroque movie palace. The IRT is designated as Indiana’s “Theatre Laureate� and puts on nine productions each season.

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Liberty, Equality, and LGBT Rights
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
What do “liberty� and “equality� mean in Indiana and the United States today? Do these words include us and our experiences as LGBT people? This discussion will use the real-life legal experiences of LGBT people in matters ranging from marriage to adoption to employment to explore how we "fit" into the Constitution.

Discussion Leaders
Gary R Welsh, Attorney at Law
Gary Welsh is a practicing Indianapolis attorney, and founder and editor of the blog site Advance Indiana. A native of Illinois, he was very active in Illinois Republican politics before moving to Indiana in 1990.
After graduating from law school he lobbied various business clients before the Indiana General Assembly from 1993 to 1998 while working for a major Indianapolis law firm. He served as General Counsel for Novanis, an information technology company, from 1998 to 2002. He is a 1993 graduate of IU School of Law-Indianapolis and a 1984 graduate of Eastern Illinois University.
http://www.advanceindianablogspot.com

Ellen Andersen, Indiana University School of Liberal Arts, IUPUI
Ellen Andersen is an associate professor of political science at IUPUI, where she teaches courses on civil liberties, judicial politics, and sex and politics. Her book Out of the Closets and Into the Courts examines the emergence, progress, and outcomes of gay rights litigation in the United States. She is currently working on a study of the same-sex couples who married in California, Oregon, and Massachusetts in 2004.

Location
Out Word Bound Books
625 North Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
(317) 951-9100
Parking available in lot north of Out Word Bound bookstore.

The Out Word Bound bookstore, located in downtown Indianapolis, specializes in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered books. Opening in YEAR, Out Word Bound offers greeting cards, CDs, magazines, calendars, and gifts in addition to poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and other kinds of LGBT literature. Book signings, poetry jams, book discussion groups, writers’ groups and other events are held at Out Word Bound.

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Saturday, September 23

Do U.S. Constitutional Rights Extend to Non Citizens?
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Constitution Café (Bilingual Edition English/Spanish)
What are the rights of non-citizens, documented and otherwise, regarding free speech, the work place, voting, free association, equal protection, criminal law, and other aspects of our Constitutional Democracy? Join this discussion, which will be held in English and Spanish, as we grapple with challenging issues at this significant time in our nation's immigrant history. This discussion will be bilingual English/Spanish.

Discussion Leaders
María Pabón López, Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis
Maria Pabon Lopez is an associate professor of law at Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI). Her areas of expertise are trusts and estates, immigration law, family law, professional responsibility and rights of non-citizens/aliens. She is also the co-director of the Latin American Law Summer Program at IUPUI. López was formerly a lecturer in advocacy and research at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and worked as an assistant U.S. Attorney, criminal division, for the U.S. Department of Justice, District of Puerto Rico in San Juan. She received her BA from Princeton University and her JD from University of Pennsylvania.

Teo Cain, Community Organizer
Teo Cain is a community organizer working as a coordinator for the Justice for Immigrants Coalition of Indiana. He is a long term advocate for civil rights and immigrants rights in Indiana.

Location
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
317 North New Jersey Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

[Coming Soon]

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Public Participation in Environmental Regulation: Theory vs. Reality
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
State environmental agencies are charged with the protection of all citizens of the state. In reality, groups with the greatest resources exert a disproportionate influence on the enactment of environmental regulations. As Indianapolis redevelops its inner-city, and housing stock goes upscale, toxic environments, once considered more of a problem for poorer neighborhoods (as articulated by the Environmental Justice movement), has become everyone's concern. We have the studies and the enforcement actions, so what is preventing advances in creating a cleaner, more healthy Indiana? Could “business as usual� be the problem?

Discussion Leaders
Michael Sutherlin, Michael Sutherlin & Associates; Hoosier Environmental Council
Attorney Michael Sutherlin of Michael K. Sutherlin & Associates has successfully litigated more than 200 cases and caused 12 new jails to be constructed in Indiana, as a result of litigation. In 1991, Sutherlin argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court to further limit Prosecutorial Immunity. The case was decided 9-0. In 1993 he was voted the best civil rights lawyer by Indianapolis lawyers. Sutherlin received his BBA from the University of Texas and his JD from Indiana University School of Law.

Richard M. Van Frank, Improving Kid's Environment
Richard M. Van Frank retired from the Lilly Research Laboratories in 1990 after 33 years. He research addressed viral vaccines, cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology. Through his experience with Lilly, his environmental interests grew and eventually became a second vocation. He has served on numerous federal, state and local environmental advisory committees. He currently serves on the Wet Weather Technical Advisory Committee, the AWT Advisory Committee, the IDEM E. coli Task Force, and the Central Indiana Air Advisory Group. He also serves on the boards of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful; The Nature Sanctuary and Center; A. W. Butler Audubon Society, and is President of Improving Kids' Environment.

Location
Family Center, Christian Park
4200 English Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46201
(317) 327-7163
Enter Family Center through glass doors on west end of porch. Discussion will be held on the second floor. There is elevator access.

[Coming Soon]

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Constitution Who? Constitutional issues about Students and Young People.
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
What are constitutional rights for students and young people? Does the Constitution protect freedom of expression of student newspapers, high school plays and blogging in libraries? Are all school searches and seizures constitutional? If you've ever wondered about these matters, now's your chance to come out and become informed.

"Constitution Who?� has been developed in cooperation with Y-Press, the Indianapolis youth news bureau. Special thanks go to Y-Press editor Amber Carter, 16, who gave the discussion its compelling name. A collection of relevant articles, compiled by Y-Press from their archives, will be distributed during the discussion.

Discussion Leaders
Jacquelyn Bowie-Suess, ACLU of Indiana
Jackie Bowie Suess is a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana (ACLU-IN). She is a graduate of Miami University and Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington. She was a lawyer for Legal Services Organization in Indianapolis for four years, and began working for the ACLU-IN in 1997. Jackie was the Director of the Indiana Constitutional Justice Initiative, a welfare rights project of the ACLU-IN, from July 1997 to May 2000, and Director of the ACLU-IN's Children's Rights Project in 2000-2001. She authored a reference book on welfare reform entitled "Welfare Reform in Indiana: A Practitioner's Desk Book." She currently does general litigation at the ACLU-IN, with an emphasis on the constitutional rights of children and the poor.

Warren Watson, Ball State University
Warren Watson is director of J-Ideas, a Ball State program designed to encourage and develop high school journalism students. Prior to his work at Ball State, Watson was vice president for extended learning and operations at the American Press Institute, where he also served as co-president and associate director during his time there. While at API, Watson led workshops on newsroom issues, management and leadership, marketing and advertising.
Watson also has been active in the Society for News Design since 1987, and served as president of the Society in 2003. A native of New Hampshire, Watson earned a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1973.

Location
Glendale Branch Library Auditorium
Glendale Mall upper level, south end
6101 North Keystone Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
(317) 275- 4410
Mall parking available.

The first library for the Broad Ripple area opened to the community in 1930 in an East 63rd street storefront. The library moved to a new location in 1949 and again in 1986 because of expanded collections and higher circulation. However, another location was soon needed. After a proposal from the Kite Development Corporation, and after much consideration, the Broad Ripple Library became an anchor in Glendale Mall in 2000 and thus the Glendale Branch Library was created—the country’s first full-service library located in a shopping mall.

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Sunday September 24

The Right to Vote and American Constitutional Democracy
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Here in Indiana, we often speak of progress in terms of civic practices across the board, with the recent adoption of daylight savings time being just one example. When it comes to voting, how are our state and the rest of the country progressing? In this concluding discussion we will examine the history of voting in Indiana, advances, set- backs, and what can be done about this fundamental practice of our democracy.

Discussion Leaders
Roderick Bohannan, Indiana Legal Services
Roderick Bohannan is the Project Director of the Predatory Lending/ Foreclosure Project at Indiana Legal Services Inc. (ILSI), where he has worked for over 28 years. Bohannan served as ILSI's Managing Attorney from 1980-1986, and as Project Director of the Community Development Project from 1986-2005. Bohannan is a graduate of Seton Hall University, SouthOrange NJ and Seton Hall University Law Center Newark NJ, where he received his J.D. in 1976. In 1972, during his senior year of college, Bohannan joined the staff of the Hon. Mayor Kenneth T. Gibson, the first elected African-American Mayor of a major urban east coast city. He served with Mayor Gibson until 1976.
Bohannan is a past president of the Indianapolis Branch of the NAACP, and Indianapolis Rehap; and is a past board member and secretary of the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP). He is on the Advisory Board of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. He is active in his church, his fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha (the oldest African American fraternity) Iota Lambda Chapter, and Indianapolis Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Men.

Amos Brown, WTLC-AM Radio
Amos Brown is a columnist, talk show host and editor, and Director of Strategic Research at Radio One/Indiana, a minority-owned, publicly traded media company. Brown hosted Six Thirty PM (1995-1997) and The Amos Brown Show (1997-2004), Indianapolis¹ only local daytime television talk shows during their time. In February 2004, Brown began hosting the two-hour afternoon talk show, Afternoons with Amos, on WTLC-AM. A graduate of Northwestern University, Brown has also lectured locally and nationally on African-American demographics and published one book on the subject. In August 2004, Brown moved from the airwaves to print when he began a weekly column for the Indianapolis Recorder.

Location
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
414 West Vermont Street, Indianapolis 46202
(317) 634-7002
Enter through main glass doors at corner of West St. & Vermont St.

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is the oldest African-American Church in Indianapolis. Founded in 1836 by a group of African-American Methodists, it was served by circuit ministers until the 1850s. In the later 1860s, the church adopted the name Bethel AME and built its current structure on West Vermont Street. Bethel AME was a stopover on the Underground Railroad and was the location for the founding of the State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs and the Indianapolis Chapter of the NAACP.