Clarence Darrow Annual Celebration 2025

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Monkey Trial, during which Clarence Darrow faced off against William Jennings Bryan in an epic battle over whether Darwin and his theory of evolution should be taught in the classroom.  A precursor to the explosion of book – and idea – banning now being experienced in schools and libraries across the country.

Join the Clarence Darrow Commemorative Committee on Thursday, March 13th to celebrate Darrow’s memory and his 1925 defense of high school teacher John Scopes right to teach evolution, during which Darrow argued that the Tennessee Butler Act, which made teaching evolution illegal, violated the separation of church and state.

Like last year, the flower-tossing celebration and the symposium are separate events at different locations.

Thursday morning, 10 am – The morning event at the Darrow Bridge in Hyde Park will include the traditional flower-tossing and brief speeches, as well as reading of excerpts from Darrow’s closing argument in the Scopes Trial.  The broader issue of book banning will be discussed in detail during the evening program.

Thursday evening, 6 pm – 100 Years After the Scopes Monkey Trial: Book Banning in 2025  at Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library, 400 S. State Street. Our panel of discussants will include historian and author Brenda Wineapple (virtually) followed by a live discussion with Rebecca Glenberg, ACLU of Illinois and Joyce McIntosh, Freedom to Read Foundation at the American Library Association addressing questions of what the Scopes Trial really taught us and why book banning is seeing such a resurgence today.

Click here for more details >>