150 years
Pursuit of Free Expression
Influential voices have shaped Vanderbilt’s culture of free expression and open
discourse
Pursuing free expression through open forums and principled neutrality is at the core of our educational mission
Holding Firm to the Truth
1960
Rev. James Lawson was a pivotal leader in the civil rights movement by teaching nonviolent resistance
Speak Up
1967
Martin Luther King Jr., Strom Thurmond, and others helped put Impact Symposium on the map
Teaching Across the Divide
2021
The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, including an undergraduate course, encourages civil discourse during a time of deep polarization