Well, how come I didn’t know that such a thing as National Civics Day exists? How long have I been writing the Civics 101 column now for The SCOOP USA Media Newspaper? I am blushing beet red under my dark chocolate skin as I write my column today. Again, I ask, how did I not know that there is such a thing as National Civics Day?
By chance, I caught a story on the TV news, both local and national network news shows promoting, the fact that Friday, October 27, was National Civics Day. Of course, I was highly fascinated because I am 100% interested in tracking stories I can share about civics for this column. So, after learning that October 27 was National Civics Day, I decided to dig a little further, and here’s what I learned, which I will now share with you.
National Civics Day is all about American history and a reminder of the importance of learning the rights and responsibilities of citizens in the United States. On the date, October 27, 1787, the first Federalist papers were published and used as a basis for the United States Constitution. Civics is also about encouraging critical thinking, community engagement, civil discourse, and understanding how our government functions, and when you can do all of that– then it’s time to start thinking about taking leadership roles in our community, in our state, and at the national level.
Civics classes in our schools, I devoted a whole Civics 101 column on this subject more than two years ago, I believe. I took a look at the state of Pennsylvania and identified schools that say they teach civics as a course. What I found then was that more often than not, if civics is taught in certain schools, in PA, it is not taught as a full semester course–it’s an abbreviated version of a class.
Civics education–is supposed to really get our young people ready to understand what their roles can be as adult citizens in America. We’ve got local, state, and federal government, so, at every level, these are not bodies of people that run all by themselves. If everyday citizens like us don’t vote these people into office, they wouldn’t be sitting in the nation’s capital, in Harrisburg, or at Philadelphia City Hall, for example. These bodies of government are not self-sufficient. They do not run by themselves. They need the actions of civic-minded people/voters to continue a constitutional democracy.
What is a civic-minded society? A civic-minded society is a society that understands and accepts responsibilities and rights. Civic education is a social science that studies the rights and obligations of citizens in society. It has been revealed that students benefit from a strong civics education in many ways, but there are still too many school systems across the country that do not take civics classes as seriously as they should. For the students who do get a strong civics education show improved critical thinking skills, improved communications skills, higher rates of willingly doing community service projects, and understanding the importance of community service and volunteerism, as well as civic engagement.
These are the same students who, in most cases, are the ones who want to participate in the political process. They will register to vote, and they will vote. These students will engage in political discussions at home and work, and they’ll spend time working on community projects, speaking publicly, and communicating with elected officials. We need all of that, so civics and understanding civics and how to use it can be a very good thing.
First Lady Jill Biden was in Philadelphia to observe National Civics Day on October 27. Dr. Biden was at the Independence Visitors Center to announce a new Nickelodeon series that teaches children about democracy. The show is called “Well Versed” and will start being broadcast just in time for our children to witness another General Election. “Well Versed” starts running on Nickelodeon on November 1.
Now let us make certain that we as adults are “well versed” about the upcoming Tuesday, November 7 General Election. In almost every civics column for the last two months, even if I didn’t dedicate an entire column to talking about the various political candidates and seats up for grabs, I would spend a portion of my column space trying to remind voters over and over again of what’s at stake. I’ve also been giving job descriptions for a number of the key races.
Here’s what voters need to remember: There are statewide races for some judicial seats, and there are local races for judicial seats. Judges are the people who once you are in a position that you have to come before them, guilty or innocent, your life is in their hands. Think about it. God forbid, but what if you got involved in a crime and then you had to come before a judge who has a reputation for being a hanging judge–come hell or high water? Everyone who goes before a certain judge is in trouble; their reputation is one that sends everybody away to prison, guilty or innocent. The judge is just mean. Do you want to go before a judge like that? That’s so tainted, a prejudice in their way of thinking that they don’t cut breaks for anyone, and they don’t care what you say or what witnesses say they are going to find you guilty.
Or would you like to see fair judges who are honest and above board–but who, at the same time, follow the rules of the law? As for me, I want fair judges.
On general election day, November 7, polls in Pennsylvania open at 7 am and remain open until 8 pm. Voters across the state will be selecting a new judge for the Commonwealth Court and two Judges for Superior Court. Just as soon as the winners are declared, immediately they will have the power to referee legal disputes over state law and decide some major criminal cases. In the Commonwealth, two intermediary appellate courts can affirm or reverse decisions made in lower courts. The decision they make can be appealed to the state’s Supreme Court, the highest court in the state. It is the court of last resort. The judicial candidate that wins the Commonwealth Court seat could help shape our state’s laws on everything from elections to firearms.
The two candidates who come out as the winners of Superior Court could decide the outcomes for high-profile criminal cases and set precedence that could impact everyone within the criminal justice system. The Superior Court race has two strong Democrats facing off against two Republicans.
Aside from the all-important judicial races that are up for grabs, we do have local judicial races as well. Voters in Philadelphia will decide on a Sheriff, a City Controller, a Registrar of Wills, three City Commissioners, 17 city council members, and last but far from least, who the next Mayor will be. There’s also a ballot question we have to vote on. I’ll let you take a look at the ballot question in next week’s Civics column, my last column before election day. If you want more details about what all is at stake and who’s running for which offices, it’s all out there on the world wide web.
Get set. Get ready. Go vote. Need more information about election day? Call the Philadelphia City Commissioners office at 215-686-3462 or log onto their website. www.vote.phila.gov.
One last thing the SCOOP USA Newspaper does not endorse political candidates.
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