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Public Square Conversation: Freedom and Responsibility




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 Oct. 29, 2026, at the Carolina Theatre at Belk Place 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.

Tickets at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/2D006512C009D8B6

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.

Hood will defend the position of individual liberty and personal responsibility, the idea that government programs create dependency and that individuals thrive when they take responsibility for their own lives. Murray will defend the position of collective investment and true freedom, the concept that real freedom requires shared investment in the opportunities and security that allow everyone to succeed.

Public Square is presented in generous partnership with the Durham and Morton families, along with programming partners Elon University School of Law, Foundation for the Carolinas and WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR News Source.