L.A. Theatre Works, the acclaimed radio theater company, performs RFK: A Journey to Justice, a new radio docudrama co-commissioned by Lively Arts, charting Robert F. Kennedy’s personal and political journey at the cusp of the Civil Rights Movement. Kennedy, who was assassinated in June 1968, just months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had a complex and evolving relationship with King and the Movement, gradually moving from mutual suspicion to shared aspirations and strategic alliances. From wiretapping to voting rights, race relations, and wartime politics, the themes underlying RFK’s tenure as Attorney General (in the Johnson administration) and later as US Senator and presidential candidate still resonate more than forty years later. L.A. Theatre Works productions feature a first-rate cast and live sound effects, and are recorded live for radio broadcast, as in the “Golden Age of Radio.” Related Themes: civil rights, Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy, theater

In his new book, Gag Rule: On the Stifling of Dissent and Democracy, Harper's Magazine editor Lewis Lapham offers a short tour of political dissent in American history and shows that voices of protest have never been so locked out of the mainstream political conversation as they are now. As a result, he argues, we face a crisis of democracy as serious as any in our history. Hear one of America's most important voices of protest discuss his urgent new polemic about the stifling of the American public's capacity for meaningful dissent at the hands of a government and media increasingly beholden to our country's wealthy few. Related Themes: civil rights, democracy

As of October 2004, 117 wrongfully convicted persons from twenty-five states have been released from America's death rows, and the number continues to grow. How do such serious mistakes occur in what some call the best court system in the world? And how can fifty states, each bound by the same Constitution and Supreme Court guidelines, implement the death penalty so differently? Should justice in a democratic society be an arbitrary matter? You are invited to join this conversation about one of the most important civil rights issues of our day. Related Themes: civil rights, death penalty, hope, justice

The Aurora Forum, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, and the Stanford Institute for International Studies are proud to sponsor a one-day symposium on the history and legacy of international campaigns to end Apartheid in South Africa. Related Themes: civil rights, freedom, justice

Title IX is the landmark legislation enacted in 1972 that establishes gender equity in schools, whether in academics or athletics. It states: “No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal aid.” This Educational Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 furthered progress toward the goal of making sure all Americans, regardless of gender, are given equal opportunity to pursue a good education, to compete in the athletic arena, and to enter any profession for which they are qualified. Related Themes: civil rights, equality, fairness, sports