Harney County Library is offering a free, virtual program about the United States’ Constitution on May 6.

Every year, the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania conducts a civics survey on Constitution Day. In last fall’s survey, almost half of those surveyed could not identify the three branches of government established by the Constitution. About one-fifth of those surveyed could not name a single right guaranteed by the First Amendment. While these responses actually demonstrate a slight improvement over previous years, it still indicates that we as a country are not adequately informed about how our government functions. Government by and for the people can only function with knowledgeable and involved citizens. 

For several years, Donna Cohen has been sharing her passion for citizen engagement through a series of programs titled “Civics for Adults”. A former teacher and librarian, Cohen has been encouraging citizens to be involved, giving them the tools needed for participating in their federal and local governments. She believes the best way to increase our collective knowledge about the Constitution and our democracy is through education, in our schools and to our community at large. Cohen has long worked to improve civics instruction in our schools, and identifies public libraries as important sources for civic knowledge and resources.

Her nonpartisan presentation, “The Constitution: Fulfilling Democracy’s Promise”, will cover early America and the framing of our Constitution; will explain the progression of our Bill of Rights; and will demonstrate how dependent our present-day democracy is on this amazing document, our Constitution. 

Please join us for this free and engaging online presentation on Thursday, May 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Attendance is limited, and preregistration is required. To preregister go to https://www.harneycountylibrary.org/constitution