The Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga invites the community to attend its sixth annual First Amendment Dinner on Thursday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m., at the Jewish Cultural Center. Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, will talk about first amendment issues in the presidential election

“The First Amendment Dinner, which began in 2006 as a tribute to our country’s military veterans, continues to offer insight about our most valuable rights and how they apply to today’s world,” said Michael Dzik, Jewish Federation executive director.  

The Jewish Cultural Center is at 5461 North Terrace Road. The cost for the program and dinner is $10 (free for veterans) if reserved by July 6.  After July 6, the cost is $12 for both veterans and non-veterans.  For more information about the event or to make a reservation, contact 493-0270 ext.10 or rsvp@jewishchattanooga.com. 

The Jewish Cultural Center, funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, offers programs, classes, and exhibits; social services; and a preschool—all rooted in Jewish values.  The facility enables the Jewish community to raise its visibly, foster relationships, and strengthen its identity in the Chattanooga area.  The Center and its programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation. 

Ms. Weinberg has served as the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee since 1984. She grew up in Chicago and graduated from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, where she majored in history and psychology. She received her graduate degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago.

Prior to her move to Nashville, Ms. Weinberg was a research associate and lecturer at the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where she co-founded the employee assistance program specialization and taught classes in community organizing and employee assistance.  

In Chicago, she also served on Board of the Chicago Abused Women’s Coalition –which founded the first shelter for battered women and children in Chicago – where she became even more committed to empowering the voiceless. In that spirit, she co-authored “The Illinois Domestic Violence Act: A Victims Advocate Manual,” the first handbook for advocates working with abused women in Illinois. 

Ms. Weinberg has received a number of awards, including the Human Relations Award from the National Conference on Community and Justice – Nashville Chapter, the Tennessee Library Association’s Freedom of Information Award for her advocacy work protecting and promoting the First Amendment, and the Human Rights Campaign Equality Award for her work on behalf of the LGBT community.  

Ms. Weinberg is a founding member and steering committee member of Nashville For All of Us” which successfully organized the campaign to defeat the “English-Only” ballot initiative in Nashville. She serves on the Advisory Board of Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and most recently served on the “Unmet Legal Needs: Alternative Strategies Advisory Committee” to the Access to Justice Commission of Tennessee Supreme Court. 

ACLU-TN is dedicated to promoting and protecting the guarantees under the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution and the Tennessee Constitution. ACLU-TN focuses on a range of issues, including freedom of speech, religious freedom, reproductive freedom, immigrant rights, access to justice, LGBT equality, and voting rights. ACLU-TN pursues its mission using a range of strategies, including advocacy, coalition-building, litigation, legislative lobbying, and public education. First organized in 1968, ACLU-TN is a private non-partisan, non-profit membership organization, headquartered in Nashville and serving Tennesseans across the state. ACLU-TN, an affiliate of the national ACLU, is also part of a national network of state affiliates working together to defend civil liberties across the country.  

National ACLU has been the premier guardian of liberty since 1920. One of ACLU’s first cases was in Dayton in 1925. When John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution in a public school classroom, ACLU volunteer attorney Clarence Darrow traveled there to represent him.