Class of 2019: We Are Counting On You
Philadelphia, PA — Yesterday, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon delivered the commencement address to Constitution High School’s class of 2019. Constitution High is dedicated to empowering students through active citizenship and is the first history based high school in Pennsylvania.
At the National Constitution Center, located just across from Independence Hall, Congresswoman Scanlon delivered the following remarks:
“Good Evening Class of 2019!
“Thank you to Principal Robb and Ms. Miller for inviting me to be here with you tonight. It’s so good to be here on this important night with so many friends among the faculty and students, here on the stage and in the audience.
“I am so honored, and excited to celebrate this moment with all of you. Congratulations to the class of 2019!
“Today, we celebrate you — your hard work, dedication, and ability to overcome adversity, your persistence, and your desire to learn and grow as active participants in our democracy. Nothing of enduring importance comes easily, and you have already showed that you have the grit and determination to take the path less travelled — to apply to a nontraditional school, and to do the work required to graduate. Today we also celebrate your families, your friends, your teachers and supporters — no one gets to this day alone. They deserve a round of applause from all of us too.
“Constitution High will forever hold a special place in my heart and serve as a shining example that when young people are encouraged to become civic leaders, and given the opportunity to participate in civic discourse, they can change the world.
“Just 14 years ago, as you were starting your education, Constitution High was simply an idea — an idea to build a learning environment rooted deeply in civics education. I have been proud to share this journey, because I too, believe in the vision created by the founding principal, Dr. Thomas Davidson, Judge Marjorie Rendell, the founding faculty, the National Constitution Center and the Gilder Lehrman Institute. The vision that while teaching future generations how to solve complex math problems, conduct scientific research, and analyze a literary text, we must also develop the next generation of civic leaders.
“Students at this school know — better than many of our fellow citizens — that history is more than just a textbook or a class. Our shared American history is the foundation for our government. It’s not just the lens of the past but should be a compass to guide us forward. We must have the courage to not only to teach history, but to learn from it, and above all the courage to never forget it.
“It is an honor to be here today at this critical moment in our nation’s history, to be addressing you — the graduating class — because you have already taken steps — by choosing this school — to become exactly the type of citizens and leaders that our country needs today. The three pillars of learning at CHS : Knowledge of History, Active Citizenship, and Democratic Deliberation — give you the critical skills that all of us need to help our country become a more perfect union.
“I came from a family invested in public service. I saw my mom and my dad go out of their way every day to help their neighbors and make the community a better place to live. My dad was a lawyer in a farm community who was sometimes paid with eggs, or corn, because that’s the only way that some clients could pay for legal advice. My mom was a teacher who started programs for students with learning disabilities, and volunteered for the local library, because she understood the importance of education to her students’ future success.
“Their example led me to a career in public interest law and education advocacy here in Philadelphia — a career founded on the belief that everyone must have access to justice and a good education, and that no one is above the law. For over 30 years, I worked here, and raised my family, while representing children, families, immigrants, and others who had been marginalized or denied access to the American Dream. I also had the privilege to launch the collaboration between my former law firm, Ballard Spahr, and Constitution High — bringing the opportunity to mentor and work with mock trial students, to participate in your service and National History Day projects, and, see members of each succeeding class, over the course of four years, become leaders in our community, and truly become the leaders of tomorrow.
“I would have been happy to keep doing that work — in the legal system and with Constitution High — indefinitely. But over the course of the last 2 years, our ability to use the rule of law to fight for the common good has become increasingly difficult, and support for public education has been undermined. I think that the lessons in active citizenship that are taught here at Constitution High rubbed off on me too — the lesson that we all have an obligation to do what we can to serve our community and our country — in whatever way that we can. So last February, I decided that it was time to take my work to a new place — where the laws are made. And many of my new colleagues did the same thing.
“I was honored to be elected to represent Pennsylvania in Congress along with 3 other women — so that PA is no longer the largest state in the country with no female representatives in Congress. I also am proud to be a member of the most diverse Congress in our nation’s history, one that is starting to be a better reflection of the people who make up our great country.
“My colleague, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, was a nurse.
“Congressman Jamie Raskin was a constitutional law professor.
“Congresswoman Val Demmings was the first African American woman to serve as the police chief of the Orlando Police Department.
“Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, is an immigrant and community nutrition educator.
“Congresswoman Lucy McBath, was called to activism after losing her son to gun violence.
“There is no one path to becoming and staying engaged in civics. It’s a conscious choice that each of us has the power, and the obligation, to make every single day.
“While I hope many of you choose to put your name on a ballot someday, for school board, district attorney, governor, mayor, city council, Congress, or President, please — run for President — — my challenge to all of you as you begin this next chapter in your life is this: continue to have the courage to stand up for what is right and for what you believe in, to serve your community — even if that means standing alone.
“Our democracy may be imperfect — but it is worth fighting for, and that is by far our greatest responsibility; a responsibility that many take for granted. Benjamin Franklin warned us that we would have to work to honor that responsibility when our most tweet-able founding father described the new government created right over there at Independence Hall — as “a republic if you can keep it.”
“This is one of those moments in history when we need to fight for our republic. We face unique threats to that republic from forces that do not respect the rule of law or understand that we must strive to form a more perfect union, rather than just looking out for number one. That call to public service, for the good of our country, is why I ran for office and why so many of my colleagues did. This is a time when we need to stand up for the Constitution and the rule of law, the free press and the independence of our courts and co-equal branches of government.
“And this is a moment when your voice matters. Now is not a time to say “I am too young to speak up,” or “my voice doesn’t matter.” As a graduate of Constitution High, you understand better than most the power that active citizenship brings. We’ve already seen that mobilization and registration of young people around gun violence issues has led to new gun safety legislation for the first time in decades.
“But there is so much more to do. From acting on climate change, to making college more affordable, to holding this president accountable, and I am calling on every single one of you to choose to matter, to do your part, whether by volunteering, by voting in every election, organizing, or running for office.
“It is all worth it.
“No matter what’s next on your journey, be it college, the service, the workforce, or technical school, I hope that you never forget the lessons that you learned here at Constitution High.
“We are all counting on you. Thank you.”
