By Sofia Harp
Little Red Elizabeth Irwin high school is an institution notorious for its progressive education and politics. On November 1st, 2022 students and faculty demonstrated their commitment to their beliefs by hosting LREI’s second “Democracy Day.” This event is dedicated to informing students about the United States’ political climate, elections, voting rights, and other subjects regarding American democracy.
On September 18th, 2020 students at LREI were devastated by the passing of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. This shocking news ignited a wave of discussion among the schools student body and Ann Carroll, a history and electives teacher at LREI, along with the participants of her elections class, recognized this monumental turning point in their country. However, after the class discussions subsided, they concluded that many of their classmates needed to be better informed on politics. Many students felt obligated to address this issue, so they proposed Democracy Day at LREI.
In preparation for Democracy Day students choose from various workshops they’ll be attending throughout the day. Examples of workshops include learning about election deniers, abortion and the Dobbs decision, the politics of critical race theory, the politics of American sports, gerrymandering, and political art and design. All workshops are presented and taught by LREI’s upperclassmen, many of whom attend elections classes themselves. As a result, workshop hosts can develop confidence in presenting, instructing, and informing other students. Presenters are also encouraged to take the initiative in researching to nurture academic independence and expand their previous political knowledge.
The learning experience on Democracy Day is further compounded by prominent political speakers, organizations, government candidates, and experts invited to give speeches that inspire, educate, and inform students of all grades. For instance, this year’s Democracy Day assembly featured Melissa Walker, a versatile and innovative writer, a specialist in state-level politics, a former magazine features editor, and the author of 10 published novels for young readers. In addition, a Q&A with Daniel Sachs Goldman was organized. As a member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 10th congressional district, as well as having been a part of the lead majority counsel in the first impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump, Goldman was the perfect candidate to answer students’ questions about the United States current political climate.
In an interview with the curator and manager of Democracy Day, Ann Carroll, she explains that she hopes the information taught will “motivate [students] to learn about these subjects on their own, to ask questions, to volunteer, to encourage others to vote, or to take an elections class.” Furthermore, she believes that Democracy Day “empowers the students giving the workshops to know that – with some hard work and purpose – how influential they can be to their peers.”