Election Year Offers a Golden Opportunity for Missouri's Lawyers

Charlie J. Harris, Jr.
Seyferth, Blumenthal & Harris, L.L.C.
Kansas City

As we inch ever-closer to November 4, the day on which we have the privilege of exercising our most important civic duty – voting – Americans seem to be growing more and more energized. More than any time I can recall in recent years, people from all walks of life are talking – and talking not just about the qualities of the candidates, but about the issues facing our state and nation.

Perhaps this is attributable to the fact that this is a presidential election year. Maybe the races for governor and the other statewide offices in our state are drawing greater interest. Or maybe, just maybe, people are beginning to shed the post-Watergate feeling of apathy toward government and are once again embracing the notion that “We, the People” must participate in shaping the government that exists to serve our needs. What a wonderful thought!

The Missouri Bar has been working to foster civic understanding and involvement for nearly 40 years through its nationally-acclaimed citizenship education program. Guided by its Advisory Committee on Citizenship Education, your state bar sponsors workshops for teachers, coordinates lawyer resources for classrooms, and publishes and distributes a wide variety of citizenship education publications and materials. To complement and enhance its efforts, The Missouri Bar also partners with other civic education groups, such as the YMCA Youth in Government Program, KIDS Voting Missouri, and 4-H. All of these activities are done with one overriding goal in mind: to foster civic participation through quality citizenship education opportunities for teachers and students throughout the state.

The depth and breadth of these activities are spectacular. For example, each year The Missouri Bar conducts a statewide conference for educators. This event, eagerly anticipated by educators throughout the state, brings teachers together with outstanding presenters for intensive focus on specific aspects of civic involvement. Last year’s conference featured a renowned constitutional scholar, Dr. Fred Spiegel, and then-Chief Justice Michael A. Wolff addressing such topics as the rule of law, the role of the judiciary in a system of checks and balances, separation of powers, judicial review, and the selection of judges. The conference finished with a demonstration of a simulation that teachers can use in their classrooms to teach students about the judicial branch.

The 2008 conference, to be held in late July, is entitled, “Digital Citizenship: Discovering Democracy in a New World.” This program will explore the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in a digital world.

A series of major activities revolve around The Missouri Bar’s involvement with “We the People,” a nationally acclaimed civic education program about the history and philosophy of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. Through this partnership, The Missouri Bar acts as state sponsor for:

• “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution,” in which high school students take part in mock congressional hearings to demonstrate their knowledge of the Constitution and U.S. government;

 • “We the People: Project Citizen,” which actively engages students in learning how to monitor and influence public policy and encourages civic participation among students, their parents, and members of the community; and

• Summer institutes for teachers addressing the historical and philosophical foundations of the U.S. Constitution, the Constitutional Convention, and the role of citizens in American democracy.

In addition, The Missouri Bar annually offers a program, in conjunction with the Constitutional Rights Foundation, to help teachers explore controversial issues without creating controversy.

As noteworthy as these projects are, The Missouri Bar is not resting on its laurels. It is constantly striving to find new ways to foster the creation of an interested, involved citizenry. A case in point is a new program, “Creating Civic Leaders,” in which The Missouri Bar and the Missouri School Boards Association provide students with another opportunity to interact with elected officials. Likewise, the state bar has just announced availability of a guide and lesson plan to analyze Missouri court decisions. This new resource is available to educators through The Missouri Bar’s website at www.mobar.org.

Speaking of The Missouri Bar’s website, it is there that teachers and students can find information on all of the organization’s citizenship education activities. Among these resources is an online civic library featuring more than 50 articles explaining the U.S. Constitution and its amendments, lesson plans, and links to other sites of interest.

But, as the website explains, “learning about our civic heritage is a continual process. It doesn’t end the moment a person graduates high school or college.” Indeed, The Missouri Bar’s citizenship education efforts do not concentrate solely on students. Through its overall public information efforts – such as its series of brochures on legal issues, speakers bureau, public service announcements, and even podcasts addressing the impact of law on our lives – The Missouri Bar is leading the way in efforts to build a knowledgeable, participatory citizenry of all ages.

Those of us in the legal community have a vital role to play in this process. Put quite simply: Get involved. Contact The Missouri Bar to learn how you can work with local teachers and visit classrooms to help students learn more about the justice system. Volunteer to serve as a coach or a judge for one of the “We the People” activities. Become a member of The Missouri Bar’s Speakers Bureau and talk to civic, social and fraternal organizations about the importance of the rule of law. Advocate on behalf of the independence of our courts by writing to your local newspaper. Make a difference in others’ lives.

Each of us, individually and as a group, can truly help improve civic understanding and participation – but only if we take the time, and make the effort, to get involved. Now is the perfect opportunity to build on the momentum generated by this year’s election contests. Will you help The Missouri Bar make the most of that opportunity?