A KU law professor, local politicians, a puppet and more than 100 other Lawrence community members gathered Friday to celebrate the Constitution and the Fourth of July in the face of what they said were attacks on freedom.
Amii Castle, a constitutional law professor at the University of Kansas, emceed the event, which featured a reading of the Constitution, musical performances and a comedic ventriloquist.
“We are here today to honor our Constitution,” Castle said. “We’re not here to protest. We’re not here to demonstrate. I’ve learned you can be really mad at your government and still love your country. And I love my country.”
Castle gave a brief history of the Constitution. She said the Constitution originally didn’t include rights; it only outlined the structure of government. But amendments were soon added, enshrining the rights of the country’s people. The text of the Constitution has only been added to, never changed.
“I think it’ll be refreshing to hear the words of our founding document,” Castle said. “No politics, no constitutional interpretation, coming together to honor and celebrate the founding document that has covered us for almost 250 years.”
After the crowd read aloud the Preamble of the Constitution together, community members read sections of the founding document and its amendments to scattered applause from the crowd.
“It is precisely in times like these that it matters most to speak these words aloud,” said Nori Rost, minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lawrence. “Words that though written centuries ago, still call us to a vision of justice, liberty and dignity for all.”
Lisa Pendergrass and Neil Kahle said they came to the event because Independence Day is about celebrating freedom, and they feel freedom has been eroding in recent months.
The pair has also been attending weekly protests in downtown Lawrence and said it was inspiring to see the growing community pushback to the current federal administration.
“It feels incredible,” Pendergrass said “Because at first, when everything started, it really didn’t seem like there were a lot of people speaking out or standing up. But then, even just going downtown to Mass Street for the protest every Sunday, just the amount of people who show up, it’s just an incredible feeling. It shows that everybody is suffering and everybody wants to fight.”
Andrea Zuercher said she isn’t usually a very patriotic person, but she felt the need to acknowledge the current moment, feeling like freedom is under attack.
“I thought it was important to come out and see a different kind of way to acknowledge the moment that we’re in right now,” Zuercher said. “I wanted to be with people that I know are scared and angry, and also determined to not give up without a fight.”
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
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Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence Times
