By Kerry Sautner and Louise Dub\u00e8\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene pool. It must be taught and learned anew by each generation,\u201d stated the late Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Sandra Day O\u2019Connor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is a critical message for us all to remember during Civic Learning Week<\/a>, March 9-13, the most important week of the year to recommit ourselves to the idea that young people need civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions to sustain the American experiment of self-government. Leaders at every level of our democracy, from the PTA parent to the judge in the courtroom, must model it. We are all part of America\u2019s civic fabric, and as Frances Harper said, \u201cWe are all bound up together in one great bundle of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n This is one of the reasons so many people from around the country and the world are visiting the birthplace of American democracy, Philadelphia, this year \u2014 from tourists decked out in red, white, and blue t-shirts to educators from across the country, school groups, and First Amendment fans ready to share their voices on a historic soapbox.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year, our city stands at the center of a national movement to strengthen the foundations of our democracy. Philadelphia is where Civic Learning Week will kick off with the CLW National Forum<\/a>, a convening of hundreds of civic leaders, educators, students, and others to answer an important question: What does this historic moment demand of us?<\/p>\n With our city as the jumping off point, schools, organizations, museums, cultural institutions, and public officials will hold events across the country, both online and in person, in communities large and small. We call this a fluorescent moment for civics, with bright splashes of action across the map, which is so important at a moment when trust in institutions is falling, polarization is rampant, and the very civic fabric we are a part of is fraying.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Civic Learning Week\u2019s official host site, Eastern State<\/a> serves as both a powerful historic landmark and a national leader in justice education, preserving America\u2019s first penitentiary while advancing public understanding of the criminal justice system and its impact on the lives of those affected by it, to inspire a more just future. By partnering with organizations like iCivics<\/a>, the nation\u2019s leading provider of civic education teaching resources, we are able to make sure that our message reverberates across the country and resonates with the broadest possible spectrum of people and experiences.<\/p>\n We align not only in our\u00a0core beliefs about teaching civics, but also in championing our joint missions to empower each rising generation to understand that civic engagement is worthwhile, meaningful, and in their best interest.\u00a0<\/p>\n We must light a fire in the hearts and the minds of each generation, instilling pride and practice of civic life. Civic Learning Week answers Justice O\u2019Connor\u2019s call for ongoing civic education, which is especially important amid today\u2019s social divisions. Despite our differences, we share more common ground than we realize.\u00a0<\/p>\n