Federal Hall, on Wall Street across from the NY Stock Exchange, is a place of contradictions. The first capital of the nation, it is the very place where the First Congress approved the amendments that became known as the Bill of Rights. However, the rights that document denied have festered and deepened wounds of inequality and injustice that continue to roil the nation. America’s founding history is complicated by our “original sins” — the narrow framework of the Declaration affirming the equality of “all men,” the Constitutional protection of slavery, and the displacement of indigenous peoples from their lands. This program will explore how Federal Hall should honor the past while telling a more authentic history. How do we celebrate the stunning achievement of the founders while committing to the unfinished work of achieving a more perfect union?

The program includes:

  • An exclusive solo performance by Jazz great Wynton Marsalis recorded at Federal Hall
  • A conversation between Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and NY TIMES reporter Sam Roberts on the challenges that face Federal Hall.
  • A dialogue moderated by WNYC Legal Editor Jami Floyd with Hank Willis Thomas, Meredith Bergmann, and Joe Baker, three award-winning curators and artists who work in public spaces to elevate the visibility, historical reality, and contributions of people who were explicitly excluded by the founders from Constitutional protection. The panelists will discuss the role of art as a means of storytelling, correcting historical omissions, inspiring civic engagement and building communities.

Free with Registration.

DEBATE DEFENDS DEMOCRACY is produced in partnership with NYU and the National Park Service. 

Logos: Federal Hall Debate Defends Democracy; National Parks New York Harbor Conservancy; National Park Service; NYU

 

 

 

 

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Program support provided by:

Logos: NEA, Humanities New York, Carnegie Corporation of NY

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photo of Wynton Marsalis playing the trombone
Wynton Marsalis
Photo of Joe Baker
Joe Baker
Photo of Meredith Bergman
Meredith Bergmann
Photo of Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian
Lonnie G. Bunch III
Photo of Jami Floyd
Jami Floyd
Photo of Hank Willis Thomas
Hank Willis Thomas