Category Archives: Freedom

The Atlantic Councils Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, on September 28, in collaboration with the Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV), hosts the first in a series of virtual workshops on strengthening economic freedom, rule of law, and representative government in different regions across the world.

The inaugural workshop focuses on Latin America, and convenes a small group of former senior officials, business leaders, and scholars from across the region to discuss the credibility of the projects message and how to communicate the message to stakeholders in the region.

Democracy is in retreat across Latin America. Populist and authoritarian governments are on the rise, and after decades of economic growth, Latin American economies are now on a downward trajectory. Living standards are in decline and millions are at risk of slipping back into poverty.

Partly to blame is the publics rejection of the private sector as a key driver of economic growth. The fact that private enterprise is an essential factor in generating prosperity is no longer broadly accepted. Entrepreneurs drive innovation and economic growth but are now maligned by populist leaders looking for easy scapegoats.

Even economic and political success stories are under threat. Chile and Colombia, two countries that made great strides in the 21st century, have been rocked by widespread protests against economic inequality. Both countries look to be turning away from the open and free principles that propelled their growth and are embracing more closed and controlled systems.

A new narrative is needed to advocate for policies and reforms that will build upon the improvements of the 21st century, and prevent decades of progress from being lost.

Throughout the region there are telling examples of countries that have embraced the projects message of economic and political openness and reaped substantial gains as a result. Conversely, countries that have adopted closed economic and political systems have seen standards of living decline and should serve as cautionary tales for the rest of the region.

In Brazil, for example, liberal democracy is associated with economic prosperity and rule of law. Even when high growth was achieved in non-democratic periods, the lack of open discussion created huge market distortions that only produced short-term gains. Balanced and stable economic growth that creates jobs and prosperity over the long term requires democracy.

El Salvador provides another contrast between an open and closed system. Following the end of civil war in 1992, the country was in ruins. To rebuild, the country embraced free market principles and by 1998, economic freedom was pegged above many developed countries, poverty was greatly reduced, institutions were strengthened, and the rule of law was bolstered. Unfortunately, in 2004, the government changed course and shifted away from prioritizing democracy and economic freedom. By 2009, poverty and corruption were again on the rise and El Salvadors investment environment severely deteriorated.

Colombia and Venezuela perhaps showcase the starkest differences in human wellbeing that arise from free and unfree systems. Colombia was almost a failed state in 2002, but in the following years established strong institutions and widespread appreciation for political and economic freedoms. The government paid special attention to international metrics for the ease of doing business, and conditions improved across the whole of society, not just for the business elite. Meanwhile, Venezuela has gone from one of the wealthiest countries in the region to the poorest thanks to overly centralized economic policy. Despite the high price of oil over the past two decades, government mismanagement devastated the economy, and brought about a precipitous drop in living standards.

One of the key factors that separates the successes from the failures is whether the population takes ownership of reforms to open up the country. Reforms are lasting and meaningful when the population buys-in and the principles associated with open market reforms become ingrained in society. If reforms can last for the course of one generation, the population will identify with them and make it much harder for would-be authoritarians to change course.

Any narrative around Freedom and Prosperity must first and foremost point out the decline in wellbeing that has accompanied the rise of authoritarian and populist governments. The project should communicate to people that their lives were better off under freer and more democratic governments. This is supported by data, which must be made clear in order to stave off political critique. Populist governments have taken control of the narrative and blame the private sector for the regions woes instead of restrictive economic and civil policy.

Still, data can only go so far. Indices and frameworks that study the level of prosperity and freedom are helpful but must complemented by applicable reforms to facilitate movement up the rankings. As a next step, the project must identify what kind of reforms government institutions, politicians and civil society groups need to adopt to bring the message into focus and implement lasting change.

A grassroots approach is needed because buy-in across the whole of society is essential. Efforts to communicate this message will fall short if they do not come from credible, local voices. Youth and women, along with people from disparate political, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds must all be engaged. Greater economic and political freedom improves wellbeing for all people, and it is essential that a diverse array of messengers are able to speak to this fact.

This means enlisting the platforms of social media influencers and youth leaders, alongside traditional media outlets like television and radio. For the projects message to make a lasting impression it must be widespread and easily digestible for the population at large.

For media inquiries, please contact [emailprotected].

Driven by our mission of shaping the global future together, the Atlantic Council is a nonpartisan organization that galvanizes US leadership and engagement in the world, in partnership with allies and partners, to shape solutions to global challenges.

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Workshop on freedom and prosperity in Latin America - Atlantic Council

FREEDOM Colin Williams doesnt usually hold back at all.

His Freedom Area High School girls soccer team certainly takes after its eighth-year head coach. The numbers are astounding: four of the WPIAL Class 1A Bulldogs nine wins have come by five or more goals; four more have come by a margin of at least two goals. Williams squad which has now won its section for a seventh consecutive year has no let up.

And it sure as heck didnt in a 6-0 drubbing of Class 1A Section 3 foe Riverside on Wednesday night.

I play to win, said Williams after the win. If you cant keep up with me, then move over.

But win is a bit of an understatement. How about dominate? Obliterate? However one phrases it, the message is the same: the Bulldogs have been steamrolling their competition all year, and the Panthers just happened to be the next casualty in their path.

From the opening minutes of Wednesdays contest, the gap between Freedom and Riverside the second-best team in Section 3 was evident. The Panthers often penetrated the Bulldogs backline early in the match but failed to capitalize on quality shot attempts. Freedom had a three-goal cushion by halftime, with three different Bulldogs having found the back of the net in the first 40 minutes of action.

It wasnt long into the second half before any sliver of hope Riverside had of making the game competitive all but vanished.

With 39 minutes left to play, Bulldogs forward Shaye Bailey scored her second goal of the night. The sophomore found herself one-on-one with Riverside goalkeeper Lauren Kong and slipped a ball into the right pocket of the net to pick up right where her team left off before the intermission. Then, with a little less than five minutes remaining, she scored again to put the finishing touches on Freedoms blowout and complete the hat-trick.

Even if teams arent on our level, I feel like we can still push to get better as a team so we can go far (in the postseason), Bailey said. Even if we (arent faced with) the exact competition that we need.

For most of the contest, it looked as if the Bulldogs were competing against themselves instead of their opponent.

Senior midfielder Renae Mohrbacher said she and her teammates bring the same ferocity into every match no matter how formidable the team theyre facing is. She said Williams approach of never easing off the gas can be exhausting at times, but she recognizes its benefits.

What keeps me motivated is wanting to get far in the playoffs and just having the mentality that even if the team isnt at the same level as us, we still have to come into the game with our highest intensity and go into it strong from the start, said Mohrbacher, who pitched in with a goal of her own. So, that kind of just keeps you motivated.

All that could put the Panthers out of their misery Wednesday night was the sound of the final buzzer.

Freedom has a WPIAL playoff spot and, more than likely, a high seed secured with seven more regular season games left on the schedule. But Williams knows theres still work to be done. To him, there always is.

You cant stop playing the game, Williams said. Because you dont become better by dropping off your game.

Contact Parth Upadhyaya at pupadhyaya@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @pupadhyaya_.

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'Move over': Freedom Area girls soccer shows no mercy in win over Riverside - The Times

Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

By Ankita Joshi and Angelina Sang

SEATTLE, WA After the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, six Seattle police officers, identified in pleadings only as Jane and John Does 1-6, are under investigation by the Seattle Police Department for their potential involvement.

During these investigations, a few individuals came forward to request additional information regarding the officers and their identities under the Washington Public Records Act. However, the officers under investigation filed a reverse public records lawsuit to prevent release of the records.

The reverse public records lawsuit claims that unless the allegations against the officers are affirmed, the public does not have any legitimate interest in the investigation records or officers identities.

The King County Superior Court denied the officers motion, and Sept. 24, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and 24 other media and transparency organizations filed an amici curiae brief urging the Washington Supreme Court to affirm the King County Courts opinion.

The Reporters Committee reasoned that the release of such records is of strong, legitimate interest to the public and would serve to help the public evaluate the work of police oversight boards and identify areas for reform, foster accountability within the police departments, and bolster public trust in the integrity of those employed to protect them.

The brief begins by outlining the importance of transparency, especially in regards to the conduct of the law enforcement officers sworn to serve their communities, and to ensure that investigations into potential misconduct are conducted effectively and fairly.

The Washington Public Records Act of 1972 upholds this sentiment as it is nothing less than the preservation of the most central tenets of representative government, namely, the sovereignty of the people and the accountability to the people of public officials and institutions.

As a result of this Public Records Act, the King County Superior Court denied the motion on the grounds that the Doe Officers cannot demonstrate that releasing the Records would constitute an invasion of privacy as defined under the PRA and that the Records are not exempt from disclosure, including under any PRA privacy-based exemption.

Additionally, the media groups argue that the Jan. 6 Washington D.C. events the Doe officers attended were far from private activities.

It is also noted that the Doe Officers potential involvement in the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol does not implicate their protected First Amendment Rights because they are being investigated for their involvement and not their political beliefs.

This is followed by again stating how investigations into the conduct of law enforcement officersincluding where claims of misconduct are not substantiatedare matters of vital public concern especially when evaluating whether police oversight boards are working effectively.

The importance of public access to the names of the Doe Officers is linked to accountability and determining the efficacy of the disciplinary process, which is one of the reasons why the Seattle Police Dept. required all officers who attend the Rally to report their attendance.

These decisions filed by in the brief are in line with PRAs mandate that courts must take into account the policy . . . that free and open examination of public records is in the public interest, even though such examination may cause inconvenience or embarrassment to public officials or others.

The brief cited a variety of studies demonstrating the importance of police accountability and of public access to police and investigation records, specifically The Intercepts Bad Chicago Cops Spread Their Misconduct Like a Disease.

The Intercept used names and records of police officers to conduct a study that ultimately exposed that officers who had been exposed to the . . . misconduct-prone cops . . . went on to show complaint rates nine times higher over the next 10 years than those who hadnt.

For all these reasons stated above, the brief ended with Amici urging the Washington Supreme Court to affirm the decision of King County Superior Court.

The Supreme Court is set to hear the case Nov. 9.

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Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, 24 Other Organizations File Amici Curiae Brief to Release Records of Officers Potentially Involved in US...

As pundits argue over personal liberties, 68 million Americans remain unvaccinated and the COVID pandemic rages on. With this in mind, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the President and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gave the 2021 Beatty Lecture at McGill University, where Dr. Fauci was asked, "How do you think we should approach the value of individual freedom within the context of this global pandemic?" Read on for his answer, and five life-saving pieces of adviceand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

Regarding the question of "individual freedom," Dr. Fauci said, "That is an extraordinarily relevant question, but a very difficult question because people interpret that in different ways. For the record," he added, "I'm smiling inside when I say this, because I have this kind of proofreading mechanism. Like I know everything I say, some phrase is going to get taken out and tonight it'll be on Fox News tomorrow. It'll be on Breitbart. You know, it just depends. But in reality, since I'm never afraid of saying what the truth is: I think the most important thing is to try and address people who have that attitude in trying to convince them of the importance of the safety for themselves, their family and society. Number one, with the facts and do it with a trusted messenger, not necessarily me or you, but someone who they feel they trust, be that a clergyman be that a family member, a sports figure, someone who can relate to them in a non confrontated way."

RELATED: Surgeon General Just Shut Down Anti-Vaxxer Excuses

"Having said that, now I'm going to answer your question," said Dr. Fauci. "I think what people have to appreciate that indeed you do have personal liberties for yourself. You should be in control of that, but you are a member of society. And as a member of society reaping all the benefits of being a member of society, you have a responsibility to society. And I think each of us, particularly in the context of a pandemic that's killing millions of people, you have got to look at it and say, there comes a time when you do have to give up what you consider your individual right. Of making your own decision for the greater good of society. There's no doubt that that's the case."

RELATED: Sure Signs You May Have Already Had COVID, Say Doctors

"I think when people realized, well, it's my body. If I don't, if I get infected, I don't really care because I'm a young person and I likely, and they're correct. That's the point they are correct. It is likely if I'm a young, healthy person that I'm not going to have a serious outcome," said Fauci. "But what sometimes gets blocked with blinders is that you could get infected, get no symptoms or mild symptoms and inadvertently and innocently pass it onto someone else that will kill them. I mean, that will kill them. And I think we really got to get people to understand that, you know, there are so many examples that you can give analogies of. You know, I want to drive 95 miles an hour on the highway, and it's my choice. If I don't get, if I get hurt, that's my problem. No, it's somebody who you might kill's problem."

RELATED: If You Got Moderna or J&J, Dr. Fauci Says Here's the Latest on Boosters

Dr. Fauci said he didn't have an answer about why there's so much misinformation. "I don't understand what is going on in society," he said. "It worries me quite frankly. It worries me deeply. I can say I lose as much sleep to the extent that I get any sleep. These days I lose as much sleep worrying about the overall implications of the rampant spread of misinformation and disinformation on society in general, not just, um, how you address an outbreak. It's terrible how we've gotten into a situation. And I think it is the the phenomenon of social media, because some people might think some crazy thing. And if you're alone and say, well, you know, I'm alone on this. And then all of a sudden they get on social media. And all of a sudden they realize that there are a lot of other people that are fortifying, and social media has replaced the edited media, where you have responsible people sorting out what's real and what's not, and reporting it. Now, everything seems to be normalized. It's as easy to say something crazy as it is to say something that's based on years of scientific evidence. And then when you get in an argument it's false equivalency, you know, a Nobel Laureate who discovered this says this, but Joe Jones on their Facebook said that. So, you know, one-to-one equally could be correct. That has to be frightening because it's happening."

RELATED: When You Get Your Booster, Here Are 5 Things To Know

Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you liveget vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don't travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you're not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

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Dr. Fauci Just Said This About Your Individual Freedom | Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

ACLU and NYCLU have announced the 19th annual Sing Out for Freedom: The Sound of Progress benefit concert on Monday, November 22nd at 7:30 PM ET on YouTube, streaming live from The Town Hall (123 West 43rd St) in New York City. Directed by NYCLU Artist Ambassador Jess McLeod (Hamilton in Chicago) and hosted by ACLU Ambassador Peppermint, this event will spotlight the ACLU and NYCLU's landmark victories over the last year and share urgent calls to action as we come together to build a stronger and more equitable New York for all.

At the November 22nd event, the NYCLU and ACLU will honor the nonprofit organization Broadway for Racial Justice (BFRJ) with the Michael Friedman Freedom Award for their meaningful grassroots work organizing for racial justice and equity by providing immediate resources, assistance, and amplification for Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) in the Broadway and Theatrical community at-large.

The concert will be telecast live from the Town Hall. For information about attending the live telecast, watching the livestream on YouTube and how to donate, click HERE.

The full line-up of performers and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The past year and a half have brought unprecedented challenges and we have found new ways to gather in community, make our voices heard, and create meaningful change. As we continue to push back against inequality and injustice in our prisons, at our borders, and in our schools, the fight for human rights continues in the streets, in the courts, in the legislatures and.... even online. The NYCLU and ACLU are on the frontlines, and they rely on all of those who share our commitment to protecting and preserving our democracy to make that work possible.

"Every year, as the Broadway community comes out to support the ACLU -- we experience once again the importance of the arts in the movement for social justice and the essential connection between art and activism. This year, more than ever, Sing Out For Freedom is an opportunity to come together as a vibrant community," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU. "We are thrilled to celebrate the sound of progress by uplifting what we've achieved together, honoring the work of artists and activists, and energizing ourselves for the work ahead."

This year's Sing Out for Freedom benefit concert is executive produced by Rachel Sussman (What the Constitution Means to Me) and Cynthia J. Tong, along with producer Ari Conte. Music direction is by Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh, with production management by Sydney Steele and casting by The Casting Collaborative / Andrea Zee, Danica Rodriguez, and Jason Styres. Live Broadcast Production is by Broadway Unlocked. The co-chairs of the NYCLU Artist Ambassadors program are Ari Afsar (Hamilton in Chicago) and Shaina Taub (The Devil Wears Prada).

Sing Out For Freedom, now in its 19th year, was co-founded by Liana Stampur and Erich Bergen along with NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the work of the NYCLU and the ACLU to promote and protect civil rights and liberties in New York and across the country. The concert is free with a suggested donation of $20. For more information, visit http://nyclu.org/singout2021.

Vaccination and mask policy: All guests who plan to attend the live telecast will need to be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine and must show proof of vaccination at their time of entry into the venue with their reservation. Masks will be required for all audience members while inside the venue.

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Peppermint Will Host ACLU and NYCLU's 19th Annual SING OUT FOR FREEDOM - Broadway World

Good afternoon and welcome to a leaves changing, spooky season edition of Freedom Kicks. The soccer is coming 2 Fast 2 Furious right now, so lets just get straight into the links:

Washington Spirit, NJ/NY Gotham FC come together to protest NWSL abuse, and play to 0-0 draw

The Washington Spirit played to a 0-0 draw last night against Gotham FC, a game played in Philadelphia so that Carli Lloyd could get a hometown sendoff in her last season. However, the game itself was the least important part of what happened of the field last night.

The players and the fans continued their protests against the mental and physical abuse of players in the NWSL, including a stoppage of play in the sixth minute and banners throughout the stadium.

The Portland Thorns made an announcement just after the game, suspending Gavin Wilkinson on leave from that team. However, it immediately became clear that that was not enough given that he is still currently in his other job.

Wilkinson needs to be suspended from both of his jobs in the Thorns/Timbers organization. Silencing a gay women in his role with the Thorns should be a suspendable and fireable offense for the Timbers as well. The reckoning is nowhere near done, and a lot of powerful and rich people need to be held accountable for the way that they have abused and exploited the players throughout the history of the NWSL.

We have to keep making everyone accountable, so keep raising your voices and making sure that the Washington Spirit, Steve Baldwin, Bill Lynch, and Larry Best know that what theyve done so far is still not acceptable.

Thats all I have today. Whats up?

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NWSL protests and the Washington Spirit: Freedom Kicks - Black And Red United

Freedom ends when endangerment of others begins

When I first saw the anti-mask protesters grouped together at the entrance to Mt. Ararat High School Sept. 29, I mistook them for the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. I quickly scanned the area searching for the Statue of Liberty, but in vain. Their intended message was school masking=loss of freedom Our Constitution clearly protects the right of the people to peaceably assemble, although there are limits as to where and when. Are we free to make our own individual decisions regarding mask-wearing?

Whose freedom is being infringed upon by a school mask mandate? A significant percentage of students is currently unvaccinated, by choice or necessity, and COVID is present in many schools, judging by the multiple forced school closures around the state. So a students demand to breathe free comes at a potential cost: the health of his/her classmates, their contacts, their families. The local high school has appropriately required masking, along with other measures, to help prevent in-school infection transmission, directly protecting the community.

Freedom is not absolute (because of those pesky other people), and the Constitution, as determined by the Supreme Court, does not make that claim. In 1905, in a case challenging mandatory smallpox vaccination during an epidemic, the Court decided that real liberty does not mean freedom to act as one pleases regardless of the injury that may be done to othersthere are manifold restraints to which every person is reasonably subject for the common good .

So, peaceably assemble, but own the consequences of your demands, should they be met: over 1,000 Mainers dead (and counting).

Steven Zimmerman,Topsham

Support carbon fee and dividend

Remember that idea that you sacrifice now for your future, give up something today for a better life for your kids tomorrow? What has that got to do with atmospheric warming? A lot.

Past climate agreements aspired to that better future but failed. Why? They had no teeth, no enforcement mechanisms. Meanwhile, so many politicians were on the take from coal, oil and gas interests here in America that we missed the opportunity to provide badly needed worldwide leadership.

Deceptive advertising played us for all we were worth, first arguing that the problem wasnt serious, and when it couldnt be denied, that it was our fault or that there was nothing we could do about it anyway. They lied to us about clean coal and clean natural gas, and still do.

The world will continue to get warmer for all the damage weve done to our atmosphere. But common sense offers a solution to reducing further harm: if we want less of something, we make it cost more. We put a steadily increasing tax on fossil fuels at the mine, the wellhead and the border, because we cant afford to risk failure yet again.

Hold on, doesnt that mean we get hit with price increases? Of course. But under carbon fee and dividend, the money collected gets returned to all American households on an equal basis. Not to big corporations. Low- and middle-income people mostly come out ahead. We are the ones with smaller carbon footprints, and we deserve a leg up during the transition to cleaner sources of energy. The rich folks, especially the obscenely rich, will see their expensive lifestyle costs skyrocket. Not being stupid, theyll reduce their emissions.

Investors and businesses will see that the future is in clean energy. Taxing carbon and fairly refunding the proceeds to all Americans will enable our country to lead once again. Tell King, Collins and Pingree or Golden that you support carbon fee and dividend, a fair and effective climate solution. Lets aspire not to a helpless hand wringing but to that old American ethic of securing a better future.

Sam Saltonstall,Brunswick

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Letters: Freedom ends when endangerment of others begins; Support carbon fee and dividend - pressherald.com

Brett G. Scharffs, Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, opens the International Law and Religion Symposium keynote discussion and introduces the speakers. Speakers Francesco Di Lillo and Susan Kerr discussed freedom of religion and the challenges many organizations face. (J. Reuben Clark Law School)

Leaders of international affairs in Europe discussed collaboration among religious organizations Tuesday morning over Zoom, during the final day of the International Law and Religion Symposium.

Panelists included Francesco Di Lillo, the director of the European International Affairs Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Susan Kerr, the senior advisor on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europes Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

Kerr and Lillo shared ideas in an interview style discussion about the theme Working Together to Promote Freedom of Religion or Belief in a Divisive World.

Freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief is about protecting people, not protecting religion. Its not just for the religious; its also for people who do not have a faith, Kerr said in the discussion.

Kerr explained that religious freedom requires the cooperation of several different people and groups at a time, and can be a very difficult problem to solve. She said that while there are challenges, there are also many opportunities for solutions.

Both Kerr and Lillo continued to discuss the importance of collaboration among the many different organizations in the community. One of the key points made during the discussion was how religious organizations who share different core values or belief systems can effectively collaborate.

If we only look at what makes us different, well never be able to act towards peace in society. And we are all different, even within a religion or a belief group, Kerr said. Its important that we all recognize each others humanity and that we dont see people by their religious, ethnic or alternate identities, but ultimately we see each other as human beings.

Kerr concluded the keynote discussion reemphasizing the idea that freedom of religion is not just for the religious, but also for those without a faith. Freedom of religion is a basic human right, allowing all people to openly express their ideas and beliefs.

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Leaders of international affairs discuss religious freedom - The Daily Universe - Universe.byu.edu

Pope Francis is taking a theological-pastoral look at St. Pauls letter to the Galatians during his weekly public audience.

This has led him to discuss themes such as the role of the Mosaic Law in the Christian life and the historical debate on faith and works.

On October 6, he looked at Pauls immortal words on Christian freedom. Here are pieces of the catechesis that serve for reflection on our own growth in freedom. Read the whole text here.

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Freedom is a treasure that is truly appreciated only when it is lost.

The truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).

The truest freedom, that from slavery to sin, flows from the Cross of Christ.

The Christian is free, should be free, and is called not to return to being a slave of precepts and strange things.

Freedom makes free to the extent to which it transforms a persons life and directs it toward the good.

So as to be truly free, we not only need to know ourselves on the psychological level, but above all to practice truth in ourselves on a more profound level

Truth must disturb us lets return to this extremely Christian word: restlessness. restlessness is a sign that the Holy Spirit is working inside us and freedom is an active freedom.

Freedom must disturb us, it must constantly question us, so that we might always plunge deeper into what we really are.

Remaining free is arduous, it is a struggle; but it is not impossible. Courage, lets make progress regarding this, it will be good for us

Freedom makes us free, makes us joyful, makes us happy.

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Feeling trapped? Grow in freedom with these 10 insights from Pope Francis - Aleteia EN

Clarksville, TN The thrilling story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad will come to life upon the stage of Clarksvilles oldest professional theatre, the Roxy Regional Theatre, this month.

Ebon Amos, assistant professor of African American Studies and Theatre and Dance at Austin Peay State University, stars as Harriet Tubman in Freedom Train, a play with music, at the Roxy Regional Theatre, beginning Friday, October 15th, at 8:00pm. In keeping with the theatres pay-what-you-can opening night tradition, all tickets not pre-sold at the regular price will go on sale at 7:30pm that evening for a $5.00 minimum donation.

The escape route that Harriet followed soon became known as the Underground Railroad, and she quickly became one of its most celebrated conductors. Up creek beds, through swamps, over hills in the dark of night, on nineteen secret trips, Harriet Tubman guided more than 300 slaves, including her aged parents, to freedom. I never run my train off the track, she said, and I never lost a passenger.

This inspirational story of self-sacrifice, dedication and survival, laced with warmth and a sense of humor that celebrates the human spirit, features dance, dialogue and songs from the periods rich musical tradition, including Follow the Drinking Gourd, Steal Away, Wade in the Water, Good News, the Chariots A-comin' and many others still sung today.

Directed by Mairzy Yost-Rushton with music direction by Tyler Saunders, Freedom Train also features April Sledge as Harriets mother Rit, David Ridley as Harriets father Ben, Kenneth L. Waters, Jr. as Harriets brother David, Alexandria Smith as William, Stephen Shore* as Jacob, and David Graham as the Overseer. David Magers will provide pre-show piano music from the period.

*Stephen Shore is appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Written by Marvin Gordon, Freedom Train is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Music Theatre International (MTI). The production was commissioned and originally produced by TheatreWorksUSA.

Freedom Train is produced in part through the generous support of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Additional funding support has been provided by Mary & Rick Konvalinka, Liz Thomas, Margaret & Leo Adames, Lynne & Russell Crosby, Bradley & Lisa Martin and Josh & Emily Medvecky.

Performances run October 15th through October 23rd on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00pm and Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, with a 2:00pm matinee on Saturday, October 23rd.

Tickets are $30.00 (adults) and $15.00 (10 and under) and may be reserved online at http://www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at 931.645.7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to curtain). Military and APSU students can receive two tickets for the price of one to Wednesday and Thursday performances during the run, while CitySaver coupon holders can receive two tickets for the price of one to Friday performances.

Facial coverings masking the nose and mouth are REQUIRED inside the Roxy Regional Theatre (except when actively eating or drinking) for everyone, regardless of vaccination status. The Roxy Regional Theatre reserves the right to change this COVID-19 Coronavirus policy at any time and will communicate any necessary changes electronically or in person.

The Roxy Regional Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to producing professional live theatre and promoting the arts, with emphasis on education, in Clarksville, Middle Tennessee and the Southeast. The theatre is located at 100 Franklin Street in Historic Downtown Clarksville.

For more information, visit http://www.roxyregionaltheatre.org.

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Roxy Regional Theatre tells the story of Harriet Tubman with "Freedom Train", October 15th-23rd - Clarksville Online