Newberry Library

posted without comment

is this press release from the Newberry

CHICAGO, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The freedom to express one's beliefs is a right, not a privilege, and Americans of all viewpoints invoke the first amendment with relentless fervor. But written law, like speech, is subject to interpretation. How has this freedom, particularly in Chicago, been shaped by prevailing attitudes, power structures, class, and gender? How is this inalienable right professed and obstructed today?

From October 1, 2004, through January 15, 2005, Chicago's Newberry Library presents Outspoken: Chicago's Free Speech Tradition, an exhibit about the principles that unite Americans and the conflicts that divide them. From the antislavery groups of the 1840s to the gay pride celebrations of the 1970s, from the 1968 Democratic Convention to the recent protests against the war in Iraq, Chicago has been a vibrant center for free speech and activism. Co-curated by the Newberry Library and the Chicago Historical Society, the exhibit draws on the institutions' powerful historical collections to reveal the city's fascinating evolution of political, cultural, and artistic dissent.

Come see how Chicago leads or mirrors a nation continually struggling with one of its most profound freedoms.

Outspoken: Chicago's Free Speech Tradition will feature nearly 150 historical objects, including artifacts, photographs, letters, magazines,
newspapers, and ephemera. Highlights include:
-- Slave manacles and an advertisement for the Underground Railroad in
the Western Citizen, 1844
-- A billy club and an execution document from the 1886 Haymarket Affair
-- Flyers for an anti-war dance at the Dill Pickle Club and an anti-Red
mass meeting at the Press Club
-- Police riot helmet worn during the 1968 West Side Riots and the
Democratic National Convention
-- Gay marriage protest materials

Outspoken: Chicago's Free Speech Tradition is free and open to the public at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago. The exhibit is made
possible in part with major funding by The Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The Newberry Library is an independent humanities library that is free and open to the public The Library offers a wide array of exhibits, lectures,
classes, and concerts related to its collections.