NPR’s Stewart Harris gave a virtual talk at ETSU on Sept. 16 in observance of Constitution Day, which was Sept. 17.
The topic of the talk, sponsored by ETSU Leadership and Civic Engagement, was “Equality and The Constitution from the Civil War to Black Lives Matter”.
Harris opened with a recap of the United States’ history of slavery, the Civil War and World War II, before delving into the constitution and Black Lives Matter. He said Black Lives Matter is just the latest chapter as the struggle for civil rights continues. He said though there are imperfections within the nation, things are better now than they were hundreds of years ago. He is hopeful things are changing for the better, and though it is difficult, Americans must reckon with their history of slavery.
“Things are getting better,” Harris said to students. “It’s a painful, it’s a difficult process, but things are getting better, and I think that this presentation and discussion this evening is a part of that process, and I’m very pleased you are all here.”
Students then had a chance for questions and discussion after Harris’ talk, and many took the opportunity to share their thoughts on the topic.
Harris is a constitutional law professor and associate director of the Abraham Lincoln Institute for the Study of Leadership and Public Policy at Lincoln Memorial University. Before joining LMU, he taught at the University of Florida College of Law and the Appalachian School of Law. For the past several years, he has also taught constitutional law during the summer at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Harris hosts the nationally syndicated public radio show “Your Weekly Constitutional”, produced at WETS-FM, which is ETSU’s NPR affiliate. On the show, Harris covers constitutional issues from LGBT rights to gun rights, and he interviews lawyers, authors, activists and occasionally governors and U.S. senators.
