We are grateful for you, civic educators. That’s the first thing I want to say in this post-election environment. We have no doubt that you have experienced a range of emotions over the last several days, and that’s to be expected.
What binds us together, regardless of how we are processing this moment in time, is the fact that you continue to do your best to show up for your students. As our CEO, Louise Dubé, wrote several weeks ago, you also stand shoulder-to-shoulder with election workers and volunteers, community leaders, and so many others as “civic frontline workers,” safeguarding our best democratic traditions.
Through this election cycle, you did something that I suspect many Americans didn’t have the privilege of seeing—you supported one another as civic educators. I saw members of the iCivics Educator Network join monthly meetings to share their experiences. I saw civics teachers on social media stand up for their peers and offer ideas for engaging students about the election and our constitutional democracy.
On Constitution Day, I visited City High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I witnessed firsthand what it looks like and what it takes to build a strong civic culture and ethos of caring for things beyond oneself. To say that the teachers, administrators, support staff, and students at City High are inspirational would be an understatement.
I’m carrying that inspiration into the days ahead, and I want to issue a call to action for all of us:
This is our moment to step up for civics. To continue to sustain and strengthen our constitutional democracy, we have to keep teaching it. This election cycle brought us into a modern-day Wild West of misinformation, disinformation, and AI-fueled confusion. Together, we carry the heavy responsibility of preparing the rising generations for this transformed environment, and we must redouble our efforts to put civics front and center for students. iCivics has resources to continue teaching around the election as we look toward Inauguration Day and beyond.
We call for peace and understanding. After one of the most contentious elections in our nation’s history, we acknowledge that nerves are still raw in many cases. We urge people to practice empathy for their fellow Americans who may hold different beliefs or have supported a different candidate.
We look to the future. We need to take advantage of this moment to unite people in sustaining and strengthening our constitutional democracy, while celebrating the incredible experiences, contributions, and perspectives of the many groups that constitute American society.
As we move forward, my appreciation for all of you is exemplified by a quote from the great Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood: “Anyone who does anything to help a child in [their] life is a hero to me.”
Thank you for continuing to help. We see you and we appreciate you.
