Community Calendar

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation presents Public Square, a civic conversation series bringing the tradition of American debate to life through civil and illuminating dialogue. The series opens with Freedom and Responsibility: What We Owe Each Other, a conversation exploring one of the most pressing questions of our time: where individual liberty ends and collective responsibility begins.

Moderated by Carol Quillen, the evening features John Hood, President of the John William Pope Foundation, and Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, in conversation.

Public Square is brought to Charlotte through a partnership with the Morton and Durham families. For more information about the series, visit foundation.cmlibrary.org/publicsquare.

Join WFAE at 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 19, 2026, at the Charlotte Museum of History for the Ed Williams First Amendment Awards Brunch. Together, we’ll celebrate the role of a free press in civic life and recognize those who champion the public’s right to know.

Honoring Jonathan Buchan

WFAE will present this year’s award to Jon Buchan. For more than four decades, Buchan served as a First Amendment and media lawyer for several local news organizations, including WFAE and The Charlotte Observer. He fought for access to public records and defended news organizations’ right to publish accurate and fair reporting.

Buchan, who retired in January 2025, is a past president of the Mecklenburg County Bar, past chair of the WFAE Board and has served as a director of numerous Charlotte and North Carolina civic organizations, including Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the NC Open Government Coalition.

About the Award

The First Amendment Award was established in honor of journalist and community leader Ed Williams. It recognizes individuals who advance truth, transparency, and public accountability. Williams spent more than five decades in journalism and community leadership, including 25 years as editor of The Charlotte Observer’s editorial pages. He also served on the boards of WFAE and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

The awards program will feature:

• A delicious Southern cuisine-style brunch.

• Opening remarks by Ed Williams.

• A live conversation with Jon Buchan, led by WFAE politics reporter Steve Harrison, reflecting on his four decades at the intersection of law, journalism and public accountability.