“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” These 45 words establish five freedoms essential to American democracy and culture.  It is too easy to take these freedoms for granted, and so the Iowa State University Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication and the Ames Public Library are hosting the First Amendment Days in April to recognize and appreciate the impact of the First Amendment on our community and our nation.

The Ames Public Library is celebrating the First Amendment Days with a set of five exhibits, one each for the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.  These exhibits will be displayed in the library from April 1st through 30th. There will be First Amendment passports available at all of the library’s service desks. You can pick one up, explore the library to find all of the exhibits, and then return to a service desk for a prize.  As you explore, you will learn about our rights and freedoms, and even have the opportunity to exercise them.   

In addition to the exhibits at the public library, ISU students have also created five exhibits that will be displayed on campus from April 10-14.  Passports for the ISU exhibits will be available at the Parks Library. Campus First Amendment passports will also be available at the Feast on the First, which will be on Thursday, April 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Come and join us on central campus for a free lunch. 

We would also like to invite people of faith and members of the press to Covering Faith: Facts and Fiction in the News Media, which will be on Wednesday, April 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Hamilton Hall, room 172. This symposium will bring people of faith together with local journalists to discuss how matters of faith are covered by news media, and how we can work together to improve that coverage. 

For more information about First Amendment Days events, check out the website here: https://greenlee.iastate.edu/experience/first-amendment/first-amendment-days/  More information about the library’s resources and events is available here:   https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/