Photo courtesy of Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau The Robert H Jackson Center is set to host an event focused on the first amendment later in January.

The Robert H Jackson Center is inviting people to learn more about the freedoms that Americans have because of the First Amendment.

Located at 305 East Fourth Street, the Robert H Jackson Center will be hosting a 1A Day Celebration on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m., collaborating with multiple organizations in the city to help teach the community about the five freedoms that people have because of the First Amendment.

“In our country we are always looking to our first amendment rights,” said Elizabeth Hosier, Jackson Center programs director. “Jackson had 28 First Amendment cases and it constantly comes up in current Supreme Court cases, so we thought this would be something interesting to do. We can sometimes have trouble understanding our rights, so this will help people learn the history and understand them better.”

Additionally, Hosier said the event will offer a fun way to interact with some community organizations along with learning more about the First Amendment rights. Other local organizations that will be in attendance at the event include; Jamestown Community College, the James Prendergast Library, Sukanya Burman Dance, the New Neighbors Coalition at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and more.

“A JCC English professor will talk about freedom of expression through creative writing, so there will be a fun creative writing activity,” Hosier said. “The Prendergast Library will have a presentation on banned books. The New Neighbors Coalition will talk about what it is like to be in a country where people don’t have these rights. We have multiple pastors coming to talk about freedom of religion.”

The Robert H Jackson Center will also have its own presentation on some of Jackson’s First Amendment cases and the Fenton History Center will be there to talk with people about their own personal experiences. Sukanya Burman Dance will be there at 2 p.m. to talk about freedom of expression through dance.

Overall, Hosier said the Robert H Jackson Center is looking to help people understand their First Amendment rights and how they have evolved over the years.

“Our rights are complicated and have evolved since the Constitution and Bill of Rights,” Hosier said. “A lot of that evolvement has been because of Supreme Court decisions that have led to that, including some of Jackson’s cases. These complicated rights can be understood better by looking at them differently and this event will help people see them from a different perspective and bring the community to the table.”