Democracy Conversation Project – Bernards Township Library

Time: August 10, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Bernards Township Library is pleased to present the virtual talk “What Exactly is Fake News?” on Wednesday, August 10 at 7:00 pm. This public humanities program from scholar Jason Luther will explore the phenomenon of “fake news” and evaluate the kinds of sites, technologies, and processes that play a role in circulating falsehoods online. Join the webinar via Zoom here:

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84624079355?pwd=R3JDNDNrLzRZcUc3aHVqKy9ZV2hjQT09
Passcode: 630367

Jason Luther, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Writing Arts at Rowan University. He received his PhD in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric from Syracuse University. Jason is specifically interested in writers and writing histories that happen outside of the classroom, specifically those amateur writers who have always made use of the tools and resources at hand to produce and circulate their own writing.

Bernards Township Library

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Democracy Conversation Project – Cherry Hill Public Library

Time: October 24, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Cherry Hill public library is pleased to present “Disabilities Then, Disabilities Now” on Monday, October 24 at 7:00 pm. This public humanities program from scholar Nicole Belolan, PhD will explore disability in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and increase awareness of disability history and disability justice and activism in America today.

The program will be held in-person at the Cherry Hill Public Library Conference Center-Lower Level.

Nicole Belolan is a historian of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American social and cultural history. She earned a PhD in the History of American Civilization at the University of Delaware. Currently, Belolan is the Public Historian in Residence at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) at Rutgers University-Camden and the Co-Editor/Digital Media Editor for the National Council on Public History.

Cherry Hill Public Library

1100 Kings Hwy N, Cherry Hill, NJ, 08034, United States

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Democracy Conversation Project – East Brunswick Public Library

Time: October 20, 2022 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

The East Brunswick Public Library is pleased to present the program “A Vote, A Voice: Women’s Suffrage and the Fight for Representation” on Thursday, October 20 at 6:30 pm. Scholar Lucia McMahon, PhD will speak about the long history of women’s activism over the course of the nineteenth century, to highlight the multi-faceted mosaic of the women’s suffrage movement.

Lucia McMahon, PhD is currently Professor and Chair of History at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ, where she regularly teaches courses in historical methods, early national US history, and women’s history. Her research broadly focuses on women’s intellectual and educational history, with a particular focus on the recovery of relatively “unknown” women’s voices and experiences. McMahon is the author of several books and articles, including Mere Equals: The Paradox of Educated Women in the Early American Republic (Cornell University Press, 2012), and The Journal of Rachel Van Dyke, 1810- 1811 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000).

East Brunswick Public Library

2 Jean Walling Civic Center Drive, East Brunswick, NJ, 08816, United States

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Democracy Conversation Project – Historical Society of Plainfield/Drake House Museum

Time: November 5, 2022 @ 10:30 am – 10:30 am

While most people know that the US government conducts a census every ten years (the last was in 2020), many people have never thought about the relationship between the census and race in the US. Scholar Karen Gaffney, PhD, will lead an instructive discussion on understanding the past and future uses of the Census through this lens.

Historical Society of Plainfield/Drake House Museum

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Democracy Conversation Project – Long Hill Township Public Library

Time: September 28, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 7:00 pm

The Long Hill Township Public Library is pleased to present the virtual program “What’s the Verdict?” on Thursday, September 28 at 7:00 pm. Ian Drake, professor of Political Science and Law at Montclair State University, will lead attendees in considering some of the pending cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In the 2022 term, the Court will review cases regarding the power of the government under environmental laws, the redistricting of congressional seats, the federal and state governments’ relations with Native American tribes, free speech, and, perhaps most notably, affirmative action in college admissions. In this talk, participants will review the most important cases the Court has taken on for the coming year.

Drake obtained his PhD in American History from the University of Maryland in 2010. His teaching interests include the American judiciary and legal system, the US Supreme Court and constitutional history, and the history and contemporary study of law and society. Prior to earning his PhD in history, he practiced insurance and tort law.

For information on registration, visit https://longhilllibrary.org/events-calendar/event/whats-the-verdict/. The Zoom event can be accessed at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86038137627?pwd=RWZSUS9rZ1NsSjIvclhQU0lENHFSQT09.

Long Hill Township Public Library

917 Valley Rd, Gillette, NJ, 07933, United States

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Democracy Conversation Project – Mercer County Library, Lawrence

Time: October 20, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Lawrence branch of the Mercer County Library is pleased to present “What is the Meaning of Free Speech?” on Thursday, October 20 at 7:00 pm. This virtual public humanities program from scholar Ian Drake will consider how the US Supreme Court has defined and redefined what free speech means, whether in wartime or peacetime and in many controversial contexts.

Participants will be able to register for the event via EventKeeper at a later date.

The actual event will be held through the GoToMeeting platform; registrants will receive the GoToMeeting link to the event about 24 hours before the program starts.

Ian Drake is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Jurisprudence at Montclair State University. He obtained his PhD in American History from the University of Maryland in 2010. His teaching interests include the American judiciary and legal system, the US Supreme Court and constitutional history, and the history and contemporary study of law and society. Prior to earning his PhD in history, he practiced insurance and tort law.

Mercer County Library, Lawrence

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Democracy Conversation Project Program: “We the People…Wait, Which People?”

January 12, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm

We’ve all heard those first three words of the preamble of the Constitution. But what does that mean? And can “We the people” mean different things at different times to different people? Join Dr. Christopher Fisher at Montville Township Public Library for an exploration of these complex historical topics.

Montville Township Public Library

90 Horseneck Rd., Montville, NJ, 07045, United States

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Democracy Conversation Project – Moorestown Public Library

Time: November 2, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Moorestown Public Library is pleased to present “Disabilities Then, Disabilities Now” on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, from 7:00-8:00pm. This public humanities program from scholar Nicole Belolan, PhD will explore disability in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and increase awareness of disability history and disability justice and activism in America today.

The program will be held in-person at the Moorestown Public Library, with a simultaneous Zoom link to enable virtual attendance.

Nicole Belolan is a historian of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American social and cultural history. She earned a PhD in the History of American Civilization at the University of Delaware. Currently, Belolan is the Public Historian in Residence at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) at Rutgers University-Camden and the Co-Editor/Digital Media Editor for the National Council on Public History.

To register for to attend in-person or virtually, visit https://moorestownlibrary.libcal.com/event/9446617.The Zoom may be accessed at the time of the event at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86907299929.

Moorestown Public Library

111 West Second Street, Moorestown, NJ, 08057, United States

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Democracy Conversation Project – Ocean County Library

Time: September 12, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Ocean County Library, Toms River is pleased to present “Civic Participation in Cancer Alley” on Monday, September 12 at 7:00 pm. This hybrid public humanities program from scholar Thomas Belton will explore the environmental history of NJ and how citizens have shaped that history through activism and engagement.

In-person attendees should go to Mancini Hall; virtual attendees may register via Zoom. Click here for additional details and to register to attend in-person or via Zoom.

Thomas Belton is an author, journalist, environmental scientist, and marine biologist who worked for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for 25 years. His professional memoir, Protecting New Jersey’s Environment: From Cancer Alley to the New Garden State (Rutgers University Press) was named a 2010 Honor Book by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. As a research scientist, he has published hundreds of scientific articles and essays. His most recent essays include “The Making of an Environmentalist” (2021) in Transformations Magazine, and “Sea Level Rise and the Two Cultures” (2020) in Superstition Review. He is also a frequent op-ed writer for the New York Times, the Baltimore Sun, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Ocean County Library

101 Washington St., Toms River, NJ, 08753, United States

Democracy Conversation Project – Union Public Library Hosts “What’s the Verdict?”

Time: October 11, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Union Public Library is pleased to present the program “What’s the Verdict” on Tuesday, October 11 at 7:00 pm via Zoom. Ian Drake, professor of Political Science and Law at Montclair State University, will lead attendees in considering some of the pending cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Democracy Conversation Project – Union Public Library Hosts “Queer Housewives and Husbands of New Jersey”

Time: November 29, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Explore the sometimes strange progression of LGBTQ+ rights, marriage, and the law in New Jersey with NJIT historian Alison Lefkovitz during this virtual event hosted by Union Public Library.