Constitution Day 2025
Auburn University’s annual Constitution Day lecture will be given by Attorney Fred Gray on Wednesday, September 17, at 4:00 PM. in Foy Hall Ballroom (Foy 258) at Auburn University. Mr. Gray, perhaps the most noted civil rights attorney in the nation, will reflect on his unique and storied journey arguing for the constitutional rights of African Americans.
The event is free and co-sponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts, Auburn University Libraries, the Department of Political Science, and the Charles Wesley Edwards, Sr. Endowment for the Humanities. The Constitution Day lecture is a part of the Discover Auburn Lecture Series.
About Attorney Gray
In his first ten years as a lawyer, Attorney Gray was legal counsel in what would become four landmark Supreme Court Cases and for over seven decades handled numerous civil rights cases, including the well-known Tuskegee Syphilis study. His clients include Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Congressman John Lewis. Gray represented Harold Franklin in the lawsuit that desegregated Auburn University. In 2022, President Joe Biden awarded Gray the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor given in the United States.
About Constitution Day
On September 17, 1787, the Constitutional Convention held its final meeting and delegates signed the Constitution of the United States of America. In 2004, Congress designated September 17 of each year as Constitution Day, requiring schools receiving federal funds and all federal agencies to coordinate educational events during the week to promote a better understanding of the Constitution.