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Contact: Marilynn Fryer
(517) 796-8466
e-mail: FryerMarilynT@jccmi.edu
08/24/04
For immediate release

September Programs Explore Revolution, Patriot Act, Genealogy

Jackson Community College has a host of historical presentations and workshops planned for September.  The following programs are scheduled.  

Founding Brothers: This program examines six pivotal incidents that helped shape U.S. history: the secret dinner at which key political figures determined the site for our capital and outlined a plan for financial growth; Benjamin Franklin's impassioned plea for an end to slavery; George Washington's Farewell Address; John Adams's turbulent presidency; the infamous duel that robbed the nation of one of its greatest early statesmen, Alexander Hamilton; and the momentous reconciliation between longtime adversaries Adams and Thomas Jefferson. These programs will be presented on the following dates and times:

  • Founding Brothers, Part 1: 10:30 a.m. Sept. 7, Federer Room A; and 1 p.m. Sept. 8, Federer Room A, and Sept. 9, Federer Room B.
  • Founding Brothers, Part 2: 10:30 a.m. Sept. 13-14, Federer Room A; and 1 p.m. Sept. 15, Federer Room A, and Sept. 16, Bert Walker Room 212.
  • Founding Brothers, Part 3: 10:30 a.m. Sept. 20- 21; and 1 p.m. Sept. 22-23, Federer Room A.
  • Founding Brothers, Part 4: 10:30 a.m. Sept. 27- 28; and 1 p.m. Sept. 29-30, Federer Room A.

    Contact the JCC Atkinson Library at 796-8622 Sunday through Friday for more information.

The Book Club @ JCC: Founding Mothers: the Women who Raised our Nation, by Cokie Roberts.  When the men were writing the rebellious words, the women were living the Revolution, with the Redcoats on their doorsteps.  "Founding Mothers" is the story of some of those women, as learned through their seldom seen letters and diaries, and the letters from the men to them.  It will be a story of the beginnings of the nation as viewed from the female perspective.  This book will be reviewed at 2 p.m. Sept. 10, Federer Room A.  Contact the JCC Atkinson Library at 796-8622 Sunday through Friday for more information.

"The Duel": On the morning of July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel by Aaron Burr in the culminating act of a political war that had lasted for more than a decade.  The rivals' final encounter in Weehauken ruined Burr's career and changed the fate of a nation.  This movie will be presented at 1 p.m. Sept. 14, Federer Room A.  Contact the JCC Atkinson Library at 796-8622 Sunday through Friday for more information.

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties During the Patriot Act: The speaker for this program is Mary Bejian, president of the ACLU Chapter in Washtenaw County.  Bejian is also the local leader in the Safe and Free Campaign to ensure that local law enforcement doesn't participate in the current dismantling of the Constitution under the guise of national security.  Since joining the ACLU in June 2004 as Michigan's first field organizer, Bejian has been active in preparing and organizing educational strategies for community education through outreach and coalition-building. 

Before joining the ACLU staff, Bejian worked for nine years as the coordinator of investigations at the Fair Housing Center of Southeastern Michigan.  And in a volunteer capacity, she served as chairperson for the ACLU-Washtenaw County Branch.  In addition, Bejian has worked on issues related to the politics of HIV/AIDS, sexual assault prevention, and racial profiling.  Bejian graduated with a bachelor's degree in women's studies and psychology from the University of Michigan in 1992.  This program will be presented at 6:30 p.m. September 20, Federer Room A.  Contact the JCC Atkinson Library at 796-8622 Sunday through Friday for more information.

Genealogy @ JCC: The Ellis Island Experience: Historians explore the island's sometimes insensitive policies, including the Americanization of names. Firsthand accounts along with interviews from the Ellis Island Oral History Project reveal what the immigration experience was actually like. And rare photographs and films tell the stories of the famous people who passed through its doors many of whom would change America forever.

  • Part 1 presented at 2 p.m. Sept. 21, Federer Room A.
  • Part 2 presented at 2 p.m. Sept. 22, Federer Room A.
  • Part 3 presented on 2 p.m. Sept. 23, Federer Room A.

Contact the JCC Atkinson Library at 796-8622 Sunday through Friday for more information.

Genealogy @ JCC: From Sea to Shining Sea:  Immigration Records Research: Many of the immigrants who arrived in America came to build a better life for themselves or their children.  From the 1600s through the early 1900s, most immigrants entered the United States by ships.  Learn how to search national records for your immigrant ancestors.  This free genealogy workshop will be presented on 2 p.m. Sept. 24, Federer Room A.   Contact the JCC Atkinson Library at 796-8622 Sunday through Friday for more information and to register for this workshop.