Candace Chambers
Blue & White Flash / Staff Writer
On Sept. 17, 1787, 39 heroic men signed the Constitution of the United States of America, ensuring that all who were born in the U.S. or by naturalization were American citizens. On the same day, 225 years later, a full assembly of Jackson State University students, faculty, and staff gathered in the Student Center Ballroom A to celebrate Constitution Day.
Institutions of higher learning remember this historic day throughout the country.
Division J of Public Law 10-447, in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 signed by President George W. Bush, mandates that “Each educational institution that receives federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution.”
Along with the importance of the university following federal government guidelines, Marcus Chanay, Vice President of Student Life, expressed another reason why it is vital for JSU to host a Constitution day event.
“We must ensure, especially in this year of the presidential election, that students have a clear understanding of what the constitution really means and about their rights,” said Chanay.
Michelle Deardorff, chair of the Political Science Department at JSU, was the speaker.
Deardorff focuses her teachings and research on constitutional and statutory protections surrounding gender, race, and religion.
“This is the best crowd, best turnout, I’ve ever seen anywhere,” said Deardorff .
She began her presentation on: “The Strange Career of the Fourteenth Amendment – Rethinking Equality.” Deardorff outlined the definition of an American citizen, by applying a metaphor of the ballroom as a democratic society, with only the inhabitants of the room owning the power.
The audience was then challenged to distinguish whether law is a key, allowing opportunities and freedom to access, or a lock, creating barriers.
The comparison of the lock and key was used by Deardorff to analyze legal acts in American history, such as the 13th Amendment, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and the U.S. v. Harris case.
The lock and key are the restrictions and access points of the “room” or democratic society of America. Deardorff also emphasized that America needs to rethink equality by making it more suitable for modern culture and the diversity of its citizens.
She ended her presentation with the question, “How do we redecorate and change this democracy to make it accessible and meaningful for most of us?”
SGA Associate Chief Justice, Carlos Smith, a junior psychology major from Jackson, Miss. shared his views.
“A lot of people don’t know their rights. They are not aware of where they come from or what their ancestors did. Dr. Deardorff explained how African-Americans don’t realize their history and how it impacts them,” said Smith.
He added, “With the large freshman crowd that was present, we are starting a foundation. We are showing where we come from and where we are trying to go in the future.”
Many JSU students felt the commemoration of Constitution Day was meaningful and Deardorff’s presentation was informational.
Destin Lewis, a freshman accounting major from East St. Louis, Ill., stated that she learned more about history through the metaphor of the lock and key.
“Something you may think frees you can actually control you,” said Lewis.
Michael Gordon, SGA Freshman Class President and mass communications major from Atlanta, Ga., believed that it was essential for freshmen to be aware of Constitution Day because of their impact on the future.
“We are becoming independent. We have to vote. We have to keep the same morals. We can’t leave the country dry,” said Gordon.
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