ACTIVISTS' VALENTINE'S DAY
Hearts and flowers don't really make the grade on this holiday. At Take Back The 14th! you hear about the first woman to cast a vote in the United States—and she was from Salt Lake City. "We are taking back the date Feb. 14 and celebrating women's voices and equality for all," the event's website says. Christine Durham, retired chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court, serves as keynote speaker. And did you know that the Equal Rights Amendment is still alive? Jennifer Seelig of the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office will speak about the mayor's initiative to finally pass the amendment. There will be music, refreshments and a signature drink "The Suffragette." Centro Cívico Mexicano, 155 S. 600 West, Thursday, Feb. 14, 6:30-9:30 p.m., $15, squ.re/2SGg9xS.
SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE PANEL
You might have heard the name Malcolm X, but do you really know what he stood for? Malcolm X was a Muslim minister and human-rights activist whose legacy has been mixed. He was a harsh critic of white America in terms of crimes against black Americans. Others saw him as teaching racism and violence. Still, he has had an abiding influence in black history. At the Malcolm X Remembrance on the School-to-Prison Pipeline, you watch a short film and discussion of his life. A panel looks at ending zero tolerance, alternatives to school resource officers, promoting peer-mediation and restorative justice, and finally challenging high-stakes tests and the so-called achievement gap. Racial disparity in the juvenile justice system will be a hot topic. Salt Lake Community College South City Campus, 1575 S. State, 801-971-7654, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 6-7:30 p.m., free, bit.ly/2SiHA1C.
FREE SPEECH TRAINING
No, you can't just go shout it from the rooftops. In this country, there are limits to your First Amendment right of free speech. That doesn't mean you can't speak out—and you should. Join the ACLU of Utah in collaboration with the Pioneer Justice Center for Dumb Enough To Try It: Government Limits on Free Speech, where you learn about how the government tries to shut you up. In this political environment, the First Amendment seems to have taken a back seat to the Second, and yet that personal freedom of expression is arguably the most important amendment to the Constitution. Pioneer Justice Center, 75 E. 400 South, Ste. 200, Thursday, Feb. 21, 6-7 p.m., free, bit.ly/2Dl3AOX.
