Mayor Justin Wilson signed the Constitution Week Proclamation for 2020 in Council Chambers. Attendees include: Amy Jackson, City Council member and John Alexander Chapter, DAR member; Susan Palmer, Nelly Custis Chapter, DAR; Debra Lindsay (rear) past Music Director, Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School; Linda Greenberg, John Alexander Chapter Constitution Week Chair and event organizer; Arianna Espiritu, Hammond Middle School student; Linda Ferrara, Dr. Elisha Dick Chapter Constitution Week Chair; Mayor Justin Wilson; and Tillie Cassidy, Kate Waller Barrett Regent.
The U.S. Constitution will be celebrated in Alexandria City Public Schools during the week of Sept. 17-23, 2020. In preparation for the celebration – a virtual celebration – Mayor Justin Wilson signed the Proclamation honoring the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Council Chambers at City Hall. The signing marks the U.S. Constitution’s 233rd anniversary.
The tradition of celebrating the U.S. Constitution began in 1956 after the Daughters of the American Revolution petitioned Congress to dedicate the week of Sept. 17–23 to commemorate the signing. The aims of Constitution Week are to emphasize a citizen’s responsibility to protect the Constitution, to educate people about the role of the U.S. Constitution and to encourage the study of historical events leading to the drafting of the document.
The U.S. Constitution provides the framework of the American government – its principles and structure – and upholds and protects the freedoms Americans hold dear. The document reflects the thinking of four Virginians: James Madison, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington.
Witnessing the signing by Mayor Wilson were members from local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution: John Alexander, Dr. Elisha Dick, Nelly Custis and Kate Waller Barrett, as well as Amy Jackson, Council member, Debra Lindsay, past Music Director at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School, and Arianna Espiritu, a student at Hammond Middle School.
Previously recorded choral renditions of patriotic songs by ACPS students from T. C. Williams High School, Samuel W. Tucker and Douglas MacArthur Public Schools and Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy are included in the video recording to be shown during the week of Sept. 17 on ACPS’s Channel 71.
The DAR has over 175,000 members with approximately 3,000 chapters in 50 states and 13 foreign countries. For more information about DAR programs and the Constitution Week Proclamation signing, please contact Linda Greenberg, John Alexander Chapter.