St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Center for the Study of Democracy welcomes constitutional scholar, journalist and award-winning author Linda R. Monk for the “Judge William O.E.Sterling/Constitution Lecture” on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 4:45 p.m. in Cole Cinema, Campus Center on the St. Mary’s College campus. The event is free of charge and open to the public.
The audience will be invited to discuss the principles that underlie the success of the world’s oldest written national constitution, and the ways in which this document continues to guide our modern republic. Monk will share stories of the Americans who sought to expand the definition of “We the People.” From the Cherokee Nation to Frederick Douglass to Susan B. Anthony, these voices resonate today with a call to fulfill the Constitution’s charge to create “a more perfect union.”
Linda R. Monk, affectionately nicknamed “The Constitution Lady,” is a graduate of Harvard Law School. She twice received the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award, its highest honor for law-related media. Her books include “The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution,” “Ordinary Americans: U.S. History through the Eyes of Everyday People,” and “The Bill of Rights: A User’s Guide.” For more than 25 years, Monk has written commentary for newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, and Huffington Post. In addition, she has appeared on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and NPR. She also served as a visiting scholar for the National Constitution Center in 2003.
The Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) explores contemporary and historical issues associated with the ideas of democracy, liberty and justice in national and international contexts. It supports research that enhances our understanding of liberal democracy and its critics. The CSD facilitates activities that strengthen democracy and the rule of law; enhance security and individual freedoms; invigorate the civil society; encourage free enterprise; and increase economic, environmental, educational and cultural equity.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education through 2024-2025. St. Mary’s College, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,700 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary’s River in Southern Maryland.