 "Photo: Photo by Adam Jungwirth")
Shirley Abrahamson, the longest serving justice and the only woman to serve as chief justice in the past 162 years of Wisconsin Supreme Court history, spoke in Reeve Union on Monday about the responsibilities of civic engagement among college students and all citizens.
The event, “Views from the Bench,” was hosted by the American Democracy Project (ADP) in hopes of promoting the importance of being active in our democracy to college students.
Daniel Vande Zande, an attorney and a court commissioner who graduated from the University of Wisconsin, introduced Abrahamson at Monday’s event.
Vande Zande spoke about the goals and purpose of the ADP, a college group aimed at promoting civic engagement.
“The American Democracy Project seeks to increase the number of undergraduate students who understand and are committed to engaging in civic actions,” Vande Zande said. “The project grows out of a concern about decreasing rates of participation in the civic life of America in voting, in advocacy, in volunteerism, in local grassroots associations and in other forms of civic engagement that are necessary for the vitality of our democracy.”
According to the University’s Web site, the ADP can be found on 231 campuses across America and is committed to teaching today’s youth to be engaged in democracy.
The Web site also states that, “The American Democracy Project is a multi-campus initiative focused on higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy. The project began in 2003 as an initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), in partnership with The New York Times.”
Abrahamson was invited to campus by the ADP as a part of the Constitution Day series. Her speech aimed to speak about one central problem: the student and community divide in civic engagement.
According to the Web site, college adults have been increasingly uninterested in or alienated from active involvement in civic life.
This level of “civic engagement” is a predictor of future organizational, community and electoral participation later in life.
The Web site also mentions that through creative and challenging service learning projects, this problem can be solved.
The ADP is hopeful that her message was heard and appreciated at the event.
Abrahamson highlighted the importance of volunteering during her speech, and said that the judiciary branch of government is always looking for help.
She also noted that volunteering is a good step to becoming civically engaged.
Abrahamson said that students should find out more about volunteering, whether it’s at the information desk at the courthouse or at a rape crisis center.
She said that the court system needs people to join them.
Abrahamson mentioned that without civic engagement, our democracy does not work properly.
She said that if people are not active members of our government, it works much less efficiently than it should. She hopes that college students will hear her message so that they will become inspired to be better citizens.
“Courts are a part of our democracy, a very important part, because it is the courts that ultimately ensure that the rule of law will be adhered to,” Abrahamson said. “But all of us, you and me, are under the law. We all have to work to be committed to a neutral, fair and impartial judiciary. That is the work of all of us: judges, the lawyers and you. And in that way, we will promote our democratic system.”
Be the first to comment on this article!