Is the invasion of Ukraine our wake-up call? – Feb 25, 2022

 

The Fate of Democracy Is In Our Hands  

The stories and images coming out of Ukraine are horrifying. Our hearts are breaking for the Ukrainian people as they face death and destruction at the hands of Russian invaders in an unfounded military attack that violates their lives, their freedoms, and their national sovereignty.

At the U.S. Capitol, Democratic and Republican lawmakers decried the Russian aggression and called it – among other things – an attack on democracy. Forty-one million Ukrainians could soon be disenfranchised under Putin’s authoritarian regime, and the hard-fought freedoms since the dismantling of the USSR could vanish.

While free speech would be silenced in a Putin’s Ukraine, thousands of Russians, mainly young people, boldly faced the consequences at home and took to the streets last night in protest. Nearly 2,000 were attacked and arrested. The flame of democracy drives out the darkness when youth take up the banner to defend and deepen it.

Protecting our liberty is an intentional effort fueled by ongoing citizen participation but it can feel like America is stumbling in the darkness a bit these days. In the words of U.S. Circuit Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, “Our citizenry is suddenly realizing that we do not know how our government is supposed to work. And if we do not know how it is supposed to work, how can we be sure that it is working as it should?”  

The School District of Philadelphia took a step in the right direction last night when it passed a resolution to register all 18-year-olds to vote and encourage all students to be civically active. This is so important because those who register to vote typically become habitual voters. And past Philly teen voter campaigns work. Thanks to groups like PA Youth Vote, three out of four city 18-year-olds voted in 2020, higher than the city average of 66%, and much higher than the national young voter average of 50%. Without registration campaigns, voter registration among 18-year-olds is a dismal 15%.

Registering a young adult to vote is just a part of the democratic equation – civics education is the other part. People need to know why and how to participate but civics education classes pretty much vanished once schools realized that high-stakes testing wouldn’t evaluate civics knowledge.

Bipartisan federal legislation like the Civics Secures Democracy Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Cornyn (R-TX), and the Teaching Engaged Citizenship Act, co-sponsored by Reps. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI), would give schools the tools to teach civic engagement. Classes like this would empower students to get involved in building community change and finding policy solutions. They would also ensure that voters know their rights so they can push back on voter suppression laws aimed at making it harder for Black and Brown Americans to cast their ballots.

Watching Ukrainian soil be trampled by Russian bombs and troops is upsetting to say the least. Families huddled together, children afraid, a people and their livelihoods under attack. We can do more than watch and hope for a peaceful retreat. We can rededicate ourselves to the principles of democracy that Ukrainians so passionately embraced and keep the torch burning for them during these dark times.

Let’s reinvigorate our democracy by bringing civics education back to the classroom. Click here to ask your U.S. senator and congressperson to support civics education legislation. Bringing back this vital information will teach young people how to engage in their government and build a stronger society.

“It’s been a struggle we have less food on the table. I also haven’t been able to get all of my daughter’s medications. Some aren’t covered by insurance, so we haven’t been able to buy those.”  

Meighen Lovelace, a mother of two, on the toll that the ending the child tax credit is having on her family

The Federal Reserve recognizes the vital role early care and education plays in the economy. 

The Fed is holding a free webinar on Thursday, March 3rd at 3:00 PM on “High-Quality Early Care and Education: Cost, Affordability, and Racial Equity.” Participation is free, but pre-registration is required.

“Education…like democracy, is always in the making, forever incomplete, founded in possibilities.”

Maxine Greene, American educational philosopher, author, social activist, and teacher