Titled 1A Day, the event will bring a host of individuals from organizations across the community, who can offer a unique perspective to the daily necessity of the freedoms from the First Amendment. 1A Day is currently scheduled to occur on Jan. 30, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will take place at the Jackson Center, 305 E. Fourth St.

The event will be a celebration of the first amendment, and will showcase the recognition through various activities and stations that will be set up by partnering organizations from around the county. Elizabeth Hosier, Jackson Center programs director, said there will be about ten different stations, all of which will be able to give varying insight to the importance of protecting these fundamental rights, something that Jackson had an incredible passion for himself. Some of the organizations that Hosier noted would be participating include the St. Bonaventure School of Communication, the Jamestown Community College English Department, and the Jamestown Prendergast Library. Hosier stated that the school of communications will be focusing on freedom of the press, discussing protections in media law. JCC will return for the second time, with the previous year’s discussion focusing heavily on censorship toward freedom of speech, said Hosier. Hosier stated that the library will likely be bringing back the same topic from last year, that being the discussion on banned books and the connection to first amendment protections. Additionally, Hosier noted other groups that will be in attendance which include the Sukanya Burman dance group, the New Neighbors Coalition, the Fenton History Center, KayCo art, and the Reg Lenna Center,

Hosier said the event was inspired by the dedication toward protecting fundamental first amendment rights that Jackson showed while serving on the Supreme Court. Hosier stated that in Jackson’s thirteen years on the Supreme Court, 28 of the cases that he saw pertained to the first amendment. Of these 28 cases, Jackson personally wrote opinions in fifteen of them. With Jackson having so much of an impact on precedents that were set in first amendment cases, Hosier stated that the organization hopes that people are able to learn a bit more about such an important protection in people’s daily lives.

“I think it is also a right that is really important to us, but also a right that we don’t always understand,” said Hosier. “I think that the key is that people not just learn about the first amendment, but experience it. You know, really understand how our first amendment shows up in our everyday lives.”