“I’ve never read the constitution before,” said Kathleen, as she walked into the meeting room of the Evergreen Branch of the Everett Public Library for a Constitution Day Community Reading hosted by the League of Women Voters of Snohomish County (LWVSC).
Within five minutes of arriving, she volunteered to read aloud one of the 12 parts of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. And by the end of the evening, Kathleen had heard the constitution read by many different voices, including a mom of two students and Diane, who led everyone in saying the words of the Preamble together.
At the reading in the Marysville Library, all the guests applauded after each volunteer reader completed their part. When Shannon arrived at the reading in the Marysville Library, she said it was the information she saw in The Daily Herald that brought her here. David said the same thing as he pulled a clipping from the Herald from his back pocket.
Guests also dressed up. At the Mountlake Terrace City Hall event, a council member dressed in colonial garb. At the reading in the Edmonds United Methodist Church, a LWVSC member wore a suffragist outfit to remind everyone of the hard-won fight for the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote.
There are stories like these from each of the seven Constitution Day Community Readings across Snohomish County, which attracted nearly 160 guests. Each reading brought our community together to listen to the words of these founding documents of our U.S. Government. It also gave everyone a chance to mingle, pick up voter information, and learn about the other organizations who supported the events.
This was the second year LWVSC has organized Constitution Day Community Readings to celebrate the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.
The LWVSC Constitution Day Planning Team includes Wendy Staley Johnson, Vonita Francisco, Lisa Utter, and Brenda Mann Harrison.
