National Louis University students and the general public are welcome to hear Lori Lightfoot, one of two candidates in the Chicago mayoral runoff election, speak about gender-based violence at a town hall event Friday, March 22 at 4 p.m., with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.

The other candidate in the mayor's race, Toni Preckwinkle, declined an invitation to appear. Organizers say they provide all candidates the same opportunities and are not making an endorsement.

The event is being organized by four nonprofit organizations which address gender-based violence. They include Resilience, the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Life Span and the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network. They say attendees will have the opportunity to ask the candidate questions.

The event is free, but register here. It will be held at National Louis University's Chicago campus at 122 S. Michigan Avenue. NLU's Office of Student Experience brought the event to NLU.