A Summer of Learning and Action at the 14th Amendment Center
A round-up of all the places and happenings where we uplifted the centerpiece of our Constitution.
14th Amendment Center Staff Sep 16, 2026
Sherrilyn Ifill addresses public school teachers at a Landmark Cases series at the National Constitution Center. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Summer at the 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy was jam-packed with opportunities to lean in to Education & Curriculum, one of the four pillars of the Center’s work — alongside Law & Policy, Democratic Institutions, and Art & Imagination. Through partnerships with National Constitution Center and the Smithsonian National Museum for African American History and Culture, and the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice at Brown University, we leaned-in to that focus, embracing opportunities to work with public school teachers and students from across the country on how to integrate the 14th Amendment’s history and promise into K-12 curricula.
But that wasn’t all. We held sessions with high school students, law students, judges, business leaders, and members of the bar. And we participated in public fora designed to center the significance of the 14th Amendment in our conversations about the 250th anniversary of our nation. The most memorable experiences included hosting groups in the Center at the Howard University Law Library for conversation and collaboration.
Here are some of the events where we uplifted the history and the power of the 14th Amendment:
Summer Session with Public School Teachers: "Freedom Was in Sight!" with National Museum of African American History and Culture
Participants at the summer session at the 14th Amendment Center. (Phocal Vision/14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill delivers an instructional lesson at the summer session. (Phocal Vision/14th Amendment Center.)
A participant takes notes during the summer session at the 14th Amendment Center. (Phocal Vision/14th Amendment Center.)
Participants at the summer session at the 14th Amendment Center. (Phocal Vision/14th Amendment Center.)
A participant takes notes during the summer session at the 14th Amendment Center. (Phocal Vision/14th Amendment Center.)
National Constitution Center Landmark Supreme Court Cases Series for Public School Teachers
Sherrilyn Ifill addresses public school teachers at the National Constitution Center. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill addresses public school teachers at the National Constitution Center. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Participants at a summer session at the National Constitution Center. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill addresses public school teachers at the National Constitution Center. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Participants at a summer session at the National Constitution Center. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
First-Year Law Student Orientation Presentation on the 14th Amendment at Howard University
Dean Roger Fairfax delivers opening remarks during first-year orientation at Howard University School of Law. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill delivers a presentation about her 14th Amendment seminar offered to second- and third-year students. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill speaks with a student at orientation for first-year students at Howard University School of Law.
Sherrilyn Ifill meets with students at Howard University School of Law. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill delivers a presentation about her 14th Amendment seminar offered to second- and third-year students. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Dean Roger Fairfax and Sherrilyn Ifill address students at Howard University School of Law. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Georgetown Law’s Supreme Court Term in Review
Sherrilyn Ifill speaks at the Georgetown University Law Center's Supreme Court Term in Review in July. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Panelists included New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, Slate's Mark Joseph Stern, UC Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. (14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill speaks at the Georgetown University Law Center's Supreme Court Term in Review in July. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Prof. Michele Goodwin leads panelists at the Georgetown University Law Center's Supreme Court Term in Review in July. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
2026 PolicyLink Summit
2026 PolicyLink Summit. (14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill delivers keynote remarks at the 2026 PolicyLink Summit. (14th Amendment Center.)
2026 PolicyLink Summit. (14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill delivers keynote remarks at the 2026 PolicyLink Summit. (14th Amendment Center.)
We the People: America 250 with MS NOW's Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow hosts We the People: America 250 at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, PA. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Rachel Maddow in conversation with Sherrilyn Ifill at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, PA. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
A screenshot of Sherrilyn's newsletter shown at We the People: America 250. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Rachel Maddow in conversation with Sherrilyn Ifill at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, PA. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Black Economic Alliance: The Gathering on Martha's Vineyard
Sherrilyn Ifill, LaTosha Brown, Governor Wes Moore, and Michelle Norris participate on a panel at The Gathering. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
The audience at The Gathering. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill and two co-participants at The Gathering. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill and Maryland Governor Wes Moore. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)
Sherrilyn Ifill and a fellow participant at The Gathering. (Image: 14th Amendment Center.)