Melissa Nelson Gabriel, Pensacola News Journal
Published 5:26 p.m. CT Sept. 10, 2019
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From political cartoons to musical performances, the University of West Florida Seligman First Amendment Lecture Series, starting Thursday in downtown Pensacola, will explore freedom of speech.
The series’ featured speaker is Miami Herald columnist and author Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen will discuss his life, career and free speech in the modern world at 6 p.m. Thursday at New World Landing, 600 S. Palafox.
Hiaasen, who has connections to the western Panhandle, wanted to take part in the Pensacola event, said Steve Brown, dean of UWF’s College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.
“No matter what your positions are on the national political issues, it will be important to hear from folks (like Hiaasen) who have been on the front lines of issues relating to the First Amendment,” Brown said.
►Carl Hiaasen in Pensacola for the fishing and the First Amendment | Andy Marlette
Carl Hiassen (Photo: File)
Hiaasen’s brother, Rob Hiaasen was among five newspaper employees killed at the Capital Gazette shooting in Maryland last year.
In a September 2018 tribute to his brother, Hiaasen took issue with President Donald Trump labeling journalists “enemies of the people.”
“The Capital Gazette — often just called The Capital — is one of the nation’s oldest papers. In recent days, it has covered the burial of Sen. John McCain at the Naval Academy, a student art contest celebrating the life of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and a deadly wrong-way car accident on Route 50. I assure you that the reporters and editors who worked on those stories aren’t ‘enemies of the people.’ My brother wasn’t, either.
“Whether you’re covering the White House or the local school board, your job as a journalist is essentially the same: Get as much of the truth as you can, and present it in a meaningful way to important participants in a democracy,” Hiaasen wrote.
Jane G. and Fred K. Seligman endowment
The annual UWF lecture series is funded through the Jane G. and Fred K. Seligman endowment. Fred Seligman was a Jewish emigre who fled Nazi Germany in 1934 and moved to Pensacola.
Because of his experiences in Nazi Germany, Seligman valued the protections of the First Amendment and wanted to do something after his death to help the Pensacola university educate residents about freedom of speech, Brown said.
“He had a long and deep appreciation for the freedoms and rights covered by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and many members of the Seligman family members felt this would be an appropriate way to honor him,” Brown said.
The Hiaasen event is free, but participants are required to preregister.
Chat with editorial cartoonist Andy Marlette
The First Amendment Lecture Series kicks off at noon Thursday with a free concert at Old Christ Church, 405 S. Adams St. The concert, titled “Banned and Forbidden — Prohibited Musical Masterpieces,” will be directed by UWF music professor Leonid Yanovskiy and feature historical notes by Daniel Miller with the school’s Department of History, and Victoria Adamenko, a musicologist.
Andy Marlette (Photo: News Journal file photo)
The series will continue at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. with Pensacola News Journal editorial cartoonist Andy Marlette.
Marlette, who has worked at the News Journal since 2007, will discuss his career at the newspaper and issues surrounding the First Amendment and editorial cartoons in a lecture titled “Enemy of the People.”
“Them Damned Pictures,” an exhibit on display at the museum through Saturday, features editorial cartoons by Marlette, former Pensacola News Journal Editor Earle J. Bowden and Florida editorial cartoonist Ralph Dunagin.
Melissa Nelson Gabriel can be reached at [email protected] or 850-426-1431.
Read or Share this story: https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2019/09/10/pensacolas-seligman-lecture-series-celebrates-first-amendment/2276125001/
