The Kootenai County Democratic Club welcomes Beverly Austin as our club speaker this Friday. Beverly represents the Spokane League of Women Voters. Recently, she wrote an article about the need to teach Civics in our schools. Her article, published in the Spokesman-Review, is entitled: Civics education crucial to make democracy work. The article speaks volumes about the effects of losing focus on our shared rights and duties of citizenship. The negative results of this oversight have been in evidence throughout our country during the past few years.
It may seem surprising that so many people have forgotten or never learned about their civic responsibilities. Yet, like many parts of public education, Civics is no longer a priority, so the required resources have been cut. One way to turn this around, is to remind people of the value of Civics Education. Learning to value and respect our government and our duties to it, is a vital step toward restoring civility and trust throughout our nation.
About the League of Women Voters
We are all familiar with the great work of the League of Women Voters. Founded in Chicago in 1920, the League was born out of the 19th century movement to secure women the right to vote. It began as a “mighty political experiment” with a goal of helping women carry out their new responsibilities as voters. This is a responsibility that the league continues to foster to this day.
