Gettysburg College launches its fourth annual Democracy Week today, with the Eisenhower Institute leading five days of events centered on civic participation and community building. Running from Sept. 15–19, this year’s theme, “Building Our CommUNITY,” highlights local engagement opportunities for students, residents, and leaders.
The week opens Monday with “Democracy in Action,” a fair-style forum in Plank Gym from 4–6 p.m. Nearly two dozen community organizations will share resources on democratic involvement. The event is co-sponsored by the Offices of Diversity and Inclusion and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
On Tuesday evening, Mara Auditorium will host a mayoral candidate forum at 7 p.m., moderated by Public Policy Chair Dr. Anne Douds. Current Mayor Rita Frealing and challenger Chad-Alan Carr will participate, along with school board special election candidates Mark Hopkins and Ryan Kerney.
Wednesday’s Constitution Day Lecture, also at 7 p.m. in Mara Auditorium, will feature Judge Christina M. Simpson of the Adams County Court of Common Pleas. Her talk, “The Constitution in Everyday Life,” will explore the judiciary’s impact on families, communities, and justice.
A second forum on Thursday at 7 p.m. will spotlight eight candidates vying for four open seats on the Gettysburg Area School District Board. Journalist Alex Hayes will moderate.
The week concludes Friday with a 4 p.m. screening of Join or Die: A Film About Why You Should Join A Club, which examines the decline of civic groups in America and strategies to strengthen local participation.
Democracy Week honors President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1956 proclamation establishing Constitution Week each September to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Sept. 17 is recognized nationwide as both Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
Source: The Gettysburgian, Eisenhower Institute