Constitution Day -- September 17
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Day Action Ideas Working with Public Schools Media Resources |
Allies
& Resources Materials Letters to the Editor |
Constitution Day Community Ideas
- Organize a showing of the BORDC's video, FBI Unbound: How National Security Letters Violate Our Privacy. This 30-minute video, in DVD format, will be available by the beginning of September, for your community public viewing, followed by a discussion. You can ask participants if they're ready to mount a campaign for a community resolution that would refuse all FBI National Security Letters (NSLs) deemed illegal by city or county officials. For more information, see the resolutions passed by Brighton, New York, and by Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
- Organize a reading of the Bill of Rights in your community: invite school classes, entire schools and school districts, city councilors, and others to take part in reasserting this founding document in our public lives.
- Pass out copies of the Bill of Rights and Constitution (See “Resources” section)
- Panel Discussions/Public Forums: Local experts on the Constitution participating in discussion about current threats facing the Constitution and/or showing films (see “Resources” section)
- Letter to the editor campaign: BORDC will post your letters on an upcoming webpage, so you can borrow snippets from other people’s letters to send to your local newspaper to get a buzz going in your community. Also see BORDC Circle of Scribes workshop materials.
- Happy Birthday Celebration, including U.S. Constitution Cake, and the all-American standards: hot dogs and apple pie (and vegan alternatives).
- Open Microphone at a local gathering spot to give community members an opportunity to speak their minds, read from the Constitution, or use poetry to express their feelings about our loss of liberties.
- Engage with local media:
- Public Service Announcements are a free way to put your message out on local radio or television.
- Public Access Television / Public Radio – Ask them to video or audiotape your public forum or panel discussion.
- Local newspapers will usually run free announcements of community events.
- Listen to the BORDC workshop with Jason Salzman for tips on getting media attention
- Send a press release to the local Associated Press office to be posted on their daily calendar: http://www.ap.org/pages/contact/contact.html
- Lobby your local theatre to show Road
to Guantánamo, a new film about three young
men held at the Cuba prison for more than 2 years. Check out the
cost of renting a local theatre for a night or series of nights
to put on your own showing.
-Showings: http://schedule.samuelgoldwynfilms.com/films/road+to+guantanamo/
-Action Guide: http://www.roadtoguantanamomovie.com/RTG_Action_Guide.pdf - Local reading of Guantánamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom, followed by a discussion of the U.S. Constitution
- Put on a local reading of the Constitution. The National Constitution Center invites schools, workplaces, and organizations to participate in America Reads the Constitution. Their downloadable kit contains instructions, press materials, parts for 109 readers, and 50 optional additional readings from speeches of famous people.
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