Starting Constitution Week in September, Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with the Tompkins County Historian and local legal experts, will host a public series of programs focused on critical aspects of the U.S. Constitution and Citizenship.

“The U.S. Constitution is a beautiful but complex document. Today it at the center of controversy and challenges,” said Carol Kammen, Interim Tompkins County Historian and co-organizer of The Constitution: Rights to Know series. “Join us to discuss the Bill of Rights, Voting, Citizenship and Immigration with experts and our neighbors who protect our voting rights, aid immigrants and teach about citizenship. It is important to know our rights and to act to preserve them.”

Bill of Rights — September 18

The Constitution: Rights to Know will begin Thursday, September 18 at 6:00 p.m. in the Library’s BorgWarner Community Room East with a discussion of the Bill of Rights, why the amendments were added to the Constitution and the process for adding amendments such as the Equal Rights Amendment. Michael Dorf, the Robert S. Stevens Professor of Law at Cornell University and co-author of On Reading the Constitution will lead the discussion.

Each of the four programs will be streamed live and available on the Tompkins County Public Library YouTube channel.

"It is more important than ever for you to know your constitutional rights,” said Steve Yale-Loehr, retired professor of immigration law at Cornell Law School and co-organizer of The Constitution: Rights to Know. “This free series will help you do that.”

Voting — October 16

The October 16 discussion will focus on voting, the Voting Rights Act, changes over time and the process and technology of modern-day elections. David A. Bateman, Associate Professor in the Government Department as well as the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University will lead the discussion. Other participants will include Tompkins County Elections Commissioners Alanna Congdon and Stephen DeWitt.

Citizenship —November 20

On November 20, Michael Dorf will return to lead a discussion about how the notion of citizenship has changed over time, how to apply for citizenship and the recent efforts to repeal birthright citizenship. Additional participants will be announced closer to the event.

Immigration — December 18

The final program is planned for December 18 and will focus on the history of immigration in the United States, how the immigration and naturalization process works and why it has become such a politically polarized topic. Yale-Loehr, who co-authored the book Green Card Stories will lead this panel, which also includes Tania Penafort, law clerk for Journey’s End Refugee Services.

“Join us at Tompkins County Public Library for this important series on what proactive citizens need to do now!” said Kammen.