April 23, 2012 Richard Dreyfuss to Speak at the 2012 Law Day Program on May 1

In recognition of Law Day 2012, the Library of Congress will host actor Richard Dreyfuss for a discussion focused on the Dreyfuss Initiative, a nonprofit organization that aims to revitalize civics education in public schools.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1 in the Coolidge Auditorium, located on the ground floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540.

Sponsored by the Law Library of Congress, the event is free and open to the public but seating is limited to the venue space. Tickets are not required. The event is made possible by the generous support of the Friends of the Law Library of Congress.

For the past seven years, Dreyfuss has been traveling the nation advocating the teaching of civics and the restoration of civil debate in America. In 2010, he founded his nonprofit, The Dreyfuss Initiative External. The mission of the organization is to educate the next generation about America’s system of government and how to participate in it. Says Dreyfuss, “We must teach our kids how to run our country with common sense and realism, before it’s time for them to run the country. If we don’t, someone else will run this nation and the experiment of government by, for, and of the people will have failed.”

Richard Dreyfuss, who has starred on stage and screen for nearly five decades in works ranging from the comedic to Shakespeare, has also spent four years studying (2004- 2008) at St. Antony’s College at Oxford University. His role as an aspiring actor in “The Goodbye Girl” won him the Academy award. Many of his films appear on the American Film Institute’s most recent list of the greatest 100 films. They include “The Graduate,” “American Graffiti,” and “Jaws.” An Academy Award nominee for best actor, for his role in “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” Dreyfuss was presented the 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hollywood Film Festival. He frequently returns to his roots in theater, with starring roles on Broadway and off Broadway in productions like “The Exonerated,” a work whose theme underscores his life-long commitment to social justice.

Law Day is a national day to celebrate the rule of law and its contributions to the freedoms that Americans enjoy. In 1957, the American Bar Association instituted Law Day to draw attention to both the principles and practices of law and justice. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day with a proclamation in 1958. This year’s national theme, “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom,” provides an opportunity for the nation to reflect on the role our courts and judiciary have played throughout our country’s history. For more information on Law Day, visit www.lawday.org External.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

Founded in 1832, the mission of the Law Library is to make its resources available to members of Congress, the Supreme Court, other branches of the U.S. Government and the global legal community, and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of law for future generations. With more than 2.6 million volumes, the Law Library contains the world’s largest collection of law books and other resources from all countries and provides online databases and guides to legal information worldwide through its web site at www.loc.gov/law/.