The Knight Foundation and Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan host talk with Simon Tam at The Henry Ford on November 9

DETROIT - The Knight Foundation and Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan are hosting a talk, “Defending the Freedom of Expression” with Simon Tam, author, musician, activist and self-proclaimed troublemaker on Saturday, November 9 at 2 p.m. at The Henry Ford.  To register for the complimentary talk, please visit here.

Best known as the founder and bassist of The Slants, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band, he approaches activism through the arts and encourages people to challenge their perceptions of how we connect with those we normally don’t get along with.

In 2009, Tam attempted to trademark the name “The Slants” but was rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. After nearly a decade of free speech activism, he won a landmark First Amendment case at the U.S. Supreme Court, unanimously, helping to expand civil liberties for marginalized groups.

His work has been highlighted in over 3,000 media features across over 150 countries, including Rolling Stone, TIME, NPR, BBC and the New York Times.

Pages Bookshop will be onsite with copies of Simon’s book “Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court.”

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is a full-service philanthropic organization leading the way to positive change in our region. As a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations, the Community Foundation supports a wide variety of activities benefiting education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development, and civic affairs. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has distributed more than $1.1 billion through more than 69,000 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair, and Livingston counties.  For more information, please visit www.cfsem.org.