It seems everywhere evident that free speech is under fire in America. Chaos has erupted on college campuses, our cancel culture chills open expression, and an ever-growing bureaucracy stifles our First Amendment rights. But as Governor John Engler and I recently wrote for the Wall Street Journal, free speech’s opponents “won’t deter us. We can still find new methods and teachers capable of reclaiming genuine liberal education and cultivating in youth a sense of gratitude for what Americans have inherited.”

I am writing to invite you to an upcoming webinar on Thursday, June 20, at 3:00 pm. Governor Engler, who is a trustee of the Russell Kirk Center, will be hosted by the Jack Miller Center, one of America’s leading civics organizations. He will be joined by JMC president and Kirk Center alumnus Hans Zeiger to discuss the future of free speech, civic education, and constitutional rights.

Governor Engler will also discuss the Kirk Center’s newly-established McLellan Prizes for Advancing Free Speech and Expression. With a $50,000 grand prize and $12,500 research fellowships, we hope that these prizes encourage the defenders of our First Amendment rights and incentivize cultural renewal.

Register for the zoom webinar here.

Sincerely,

Jeff Nelson
Executive Director & CEO