Elon University School of Law joins the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation and community partners for Public Square, a series of civic dialogues. The first is an Oct. 29 discussion featuring Carol Quillen, John Hood and Melissa Murray, with four Elon Law students contributing to the program.
Elon University School of Law is joining prominent Charlotte organizations to bring residents together for conversations about democracy, civic responsibility and the importance of engaging with different perspectives.
The law school is a programming partner for Public Square, a new civic conversation series produced by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. The inaugural event, “Freedom and Responsibility: What We Owe Each Other,” will take place Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Carolina Theatre at Belk Place in Charlotte.
Event details
“Freedom and Responsibility: What We Owe Each Other”
A moderated conversation featuring Carol Quillen, John Hood and Melissa Murray
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at 7 p.m.
Carolina Theatre at Belk Place, 230 N Tryon, Charlotte, NC 28202
General admission is $35. Student admissions is $15.
“At Elon Law, we prepare students to listen carefully, think critically and consider opposing views. Public Square brings people together to ask tough questions, debate ideas and learn from each other in pursuit of a stronger democracy,” said Dean Zak Kramer. “That makes this a natural partnership. As the law school grows in Charlotte, we’re excited to contribute even more to the civic life of this community.”
Elon Law’s participation in Public Square comes as the university expands its presence in Charlotte through a merger with Queens University of Charlotte. The law school launched its part-time Flex Program there in 2024, and will welcome its first full-time Charlotte J.D. class in fall 2027. Beginning next fall, both programs will operate on the historic Myers Park campus.
A conversation about freedom and responsibility
The inaugural Public Square conversation will explore the relationship between individual liberty, shared responsibility and the obligations Americans have to one another.
Carol Quillen, former president of Davidson College and former CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will moderate a discussion between John Hood, president of the John William Pope Foundation, and Melissa Murray, the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at New York University.
Hood will explore individual liberty and personal responsibility, while Murray will address collective investment and the conditions necessary for meaningful freedom.
Quillen recently discussed the series and the importance of respectful disagreement in an interview with WFAE, Charlotte’s public radio station and a partner of the event.
The series seeks to encourage conversations across differences, model respectful civic discourse and create opportunities for Charlotte residents to consider questions that shape their communities and the nation.
“I am so grateful to our donors and partners for joining CMLF on this journey to gather our diverse community for conversations that matter to our personal lives and collective well-being,” said Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation Executive Director Jenni Gaisbauer. “This series aligns with the Library’s commitment to protecting the First Amendment’s guarantee of free and open access to information and ideas – a principle vital to our democracy and to each individual’s search for knowledge.”
Elon Law students contribute to the conversation
Elon Law students will play a distinctive role in bringing that civic engagement to life.
Four students from the law school’s Greensboro and Charlotte programs will serve as content navigators, contributing legal and constitutional context to the discussion, engaging with audience questions and making complex issues more accessible to participants.
The students are:
- Stellarose Emery L’27, Greensboro full-time J.D. program
- Ashley Holmes L’26, Greensboro full-time J.D. program
- Mandy Mead LF’29, Charlotte Flex Program
- Jeremy Yagoda LF’29, Charlotte Flex Program
“So much of how we talk about politics now happens on a screen, in short bursts, with people who already agree with us. That isn’t how self-government is supposed to work,” said Yagoda, whose full-time job is as board and grant specialist at the Foundation For The Carolinas — also a partner of Public Square. “Charlotte is growing and changing quickly, and a city like ours needs places where neighbors can sit in the same room, disagree, and still take each other seriously. The whole experiment only works if people keep arguing in good faith, and that doesn’t happen by accident. You have to practice it.”
For Holmes, the importance of participating in conversations across differences is also personal.
“Growing up, my family did not participate much in politics; however, my parents instilled in me the importance of doing my best to do the right thing and the courage to stand up for ideals I believe in,” Holmes said. “I’m excited to participate in this event because ‘doing the right thing’ in a modern democracy requires us to step out of our comfort zones. It means recognizing that our own ideals are tested, sharpened, and ultimately improved when they meet different perspectives.”
Building a community conversation
Public Square events will examine the ideas, disagreements and responsibilities that have shaped American democracy.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation is producing the series with programming partners including the Foundation for the Carolinas, WFAE, and Elon Law. The Durham and Morton families are supporting partners.
The Oct. 29 discussion marks the beginning of a continuing series intended to bring Charlotte residents together around questions of civic life, democratic participation and the nation’s future.
Additional Public Square dialogues planned for 2027 include:
- Spring 2027: The Art of Compromise
- Fall 2027: Truth and Trust