Yuma, Arizona - FRANK Talks are face-to-face conversations on ideas that matter. Attendees discuss issues of local and national importance in a single-session 75-minute program, led by a humanities scholar/expert on the topic.

On October 6th and 7th, Dr. T.J. Davis from Arizona State University will visit the Foothills Library to lead discussions about immigration, national border security, and terrorism. There is no charge to attend.

Friday, October 6th @ 2:00 p.m.
Immigrants and the American Dream: We the People, Today and Tomorrow
The U.S. has long touted itself as a land of immigrants and has grown phenomenally from migration since its beginnings in an ever expanding global economy. Yet the source and substance of immigration have been topics of continuous debate. How do domestic conditions, regional competitions, geopolitics, and foreign policy affect the discourse about who could and should become an American?

Saturday, October 7th @ 12:00 p.m.
Securing the Borders and Stopping Terrorism: A Constitutional Framework
Protecting its people is among the first priorities of any government. The Constitution’s Bill of Rights provides protections of the people from the government. How should the U.S. Constitution’s checks and balances operate in securing U.S. borders and stopping terrorism? How do these protections turn into practical public policies that implement the government’s duty to protect its people while respecting its people’s civil liberties?

Thomas J. Davis teaches U.S. constitutional and legal history at Arizona State University, Tempe, and has taught as a visiting professor of law at the ASU College of Law. As an historian and lawyer, he focuses on civil rights, employment, and property law, and particularly on issues of race, identity and law, in addition to constitutional matters. He received his PhD in U.S. history from Columbia University in the City of New York and his JD cum laude from the University at Buffalo Law School in New York. He served as a commissioner and chair of the Superior Court of Arizona for the County of Maricopa’s Judicial Merit Commission from 2002 to 2015.

The Foothills Library is located at 13226 E South Frontage Road. For more information, call (928) 342-1640.

FRANK TALKS are free, thought-provoking, expert-facilitated discussions on important issues facing our communities produced in partnership with Arizona Humanities and the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records. For more information call 602-257-0335 Ext 26 or visit: http://www.azhumanities.org/programs/frank-talks/