The UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement will hold its fourth annual UC #SpeechMatters conference virtually this Wednesday and Thursday, April 6-7, from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (PT).

The theme is Safeguarding Democracy. After a year marred by false accusations of voter fraud, an insurrection at our Capitol and deep political polarization across the country, democracy needs scaffolding. Higher education – with its values of vigorous inquiry, search for truth and robust expression – has a vital role to play in safeguarding our democracy.

UCOP staff are invited to join the conversation as we dive into some of the questions that have dominated civil discourse — in classrooms, casual conversation and Congress — in a year when democracy itself was on the brink.

UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., and Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels, J.D., will discuss the role that higher education plays in preserving democracy and preparing the next generation to lead. Additional featured panels include:

• Social Media, Freedom of Speech, and the Future of our Democracy
• A Response to Jan. 6: The 14th Amendment and Banning Insurrectionists from Office
• The Channels of Student Activism: How the Left and Right Are Winning (and Losing) in Campus Politics Today
• Championing Change: UC Students and Civic Impact
• From Kindergarten to Campus: Common Roots of Democratic Learning

Register for the #SpeechMatters Conference – Safeguarding Democracy

Can’t make it? RSVP to receive a link to the event recording.

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