Little pieces of cake, voter registration tables and friendly smiles welcomed each person as they entered.
On Sept. 15, from noon to 1:00 p.m in the Tartan Marketplace, Erika Curran, professor and expert on immigration law, addressed a room full of listening ears on the role of the U.S. Congress and president in making and enforcing immigration law.
“History repeats itself. That’s one of the things wrong with history,” Clarence Darrow’s quote read in the slideshow Curran presented.
By discussing the branches of government and the rights and responsibilities citizens have under the Constitution, Curran allowed students to better understand the history of the government and how it continues to shape the nation.
The event was held to recognize both National Voter Registration Day and Constitution Day. Constitution Day is officially observed on Sept. 17 and commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. National Voter Registration Day was also recognized on Sept. 15. The annual event encourages voter registration and civic participation.
Tom Roberts, Ohio Fellows Advisor for Sinclair’s leadership program, said the Constitution Day program is meant to help students understand the Constitution and the structure of the federal government.
“Really, it is to help students understand,” Roberts said. “America has one of the few written constitutions.”
Roberts said the program has been held at Sinclair for ten years and more.
Understanding the Constitution is important because it explains where citizens’ rights come from and how the three branches of the federal government function, he said.
“It’s hard to amend the Constitution, so just helping people understand where we get our rights from,” Roberts said. “The Bill of Rights, our rights and responsibilities, is in the Constitution.”
With the voter registration table outside the program, students had the opportunity to learn not only about their constitutional rights and responsibilities, but also about how they can participate in their government.
Lisa Pinsenschaum, Reporter
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