ACCR Experience
January 16th, 2013 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments
In 2002, Bob Riley and Don Siegalmann were facing each other in the Alabama gubernatorial election. My peers at school could not have told you who was running for Governor; much less could they have told you each candidate’s platform or even what a democratic election was. That year, I was in third grade and fortunate enough to have my gifted program teacher expect just that of me. Mrs. Wade did not shy away from teaching what many would consider to be difficult concepts for a third grader to grasp. Not only did she teach us about democracy and the candidates’ platforms, but she required that we be able to teach all of this information to the other students at our school, from kindergarten to third grade.
In third grade, I got my first dose of democracy, Alabama politics, and civic education. Today, as a political science student at UAB and working with ACCR, Foundation, that early educational experience inspires me to aim at educating citizens of the state about constitutional reform.
Since beginning at ACCR, Foundation as an intern in August of last year, I have found it easy and gratifying to immerse myself in constitutional reform efforts. I attended the Town Hall Experience: A New Constitution for Alabama, an event held by the University of Alabam
a’s Honors College in October. At this event, I had the opportunity to hear speeches about current efforts towards constitutional reform and had the honor of interviewing former Alabama Governor Albert Brewer for the organization.
Attending Constitutional Revision Commission meetings in Montgomery has been another enjoyable and rewarding experience. It has not only al
lowed me to stay current with constitutional reform issues and legislation, but it has also provided me a firsthand look of how committees, proposals, politics, and legislators operate in Alabama.
As a college student, these experiences are invaluable as education and inspiration. The more I learn about Alabama’s constitution, the more I aim to educate Alabamians about it. I have reached people statewide by reporting in ACCR, Foundations newsletter about the work of the Revision Commission and amendments that appeared on the November ballot; a peer and I hosted a fundraising and awareness event at a restaurant in Birmingham; I have even felt confident enough with my knowledge of the Alabama’s constitution to correct one of
My third grade gifted teacher expected me to know the issues and be able to tell people about them. I have that same expectation of myself today, just as I know countless Alabamians have that same expectation of ACCR. Educating people throughout the state about constitutional reform is necessary for all labors towards a better Alabama, and I am motivated to see that the dialogue that has been created by previous efforts is not stifled. my professors, who gave an incorrect fact about the document.
On November 27th, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s student volunteers held a fundraiser at a local Birmingham restaurant. Organized by UAB Political Science students, Sharmin Anwer and Ashleigh Staples, the Constitutional Reform at Rojo event not only aimed at raising money for constitutional reform efforts, but it also worked to educate citizens about the cause.
Studying Political Science as a freshman in the UAB Honors Program, Ashleigh Staples is one of ACCR Foundation’s 2012 fall interns. Ashleigh recently graduated from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama, where she was an Ambassador, Editor of the school newspaper, and the National Honor Society President. She plans on attending law school and was recently elected vice-president of UAB’s Pre-Law Society. Very enthused about the opportunity of starting off her college career bringing awareness to constitutional reform, Ashleigh states, “Constitutional reform for Alabama is something that I feel strongly about. I hope to aid in communicating to the public the truly impeding and bigoted provisions of the current constitution, in the hope that we can have a more efficient and responsive government. ”
If you are looking for a good example of the absence of Home Rule in a county, you’d find it in Baldwin County…where citizens of the community of Stockton are dismayed at their local concerns being voted upon statewide. That’s right. Statewide Amendment 3…which is designed to prevent the Legislature from passing a bill to annex Stockton into a nearby town, thereby leaving the issue up to only Stockton residents…will appear on your ballot as follows:.JPG)
It admittedly can be frustrating for those working hard to bring the 1901 constitution into the 21st century to encounter so many Alabamians who fail to see the importance of that work and who don’t appreciate how major changes in the document would benefit them. It’s tempting to think that if those people only knew more about how the current constitution adversely impacts them directly or indirectly, they would be transformed into proactive supporters of constitutional reform. In reality, some of these appropriately oriented individuals would join our ranks, while the majority would undoubtedly continue on with their lives, with constitutional revision far from the top of their personal priority lists. One potential way to increase the number of “activist converts”, however, is through organizations that represent various constituencies within the state. The Constitutional Convention Coalition (CCC), an informal affiliation of primarily non-profit organizations, provides such an avenue.
On April 19th, we spoke to the Delta Kappa Gamma educators’ honorary in Gadsden. This group of current and retired teachers was shown our educational…and very interesting…DVD called 
The Madison County Team celebrated ACCR’s 12th anniversary on April 16 at the Huntsville- Madison County Public Library. ACCR grew out of a rally held in Tuscaloosa on April 7, 2000 as part of a grassroots movement for civic renewal and constitutional reform.(1).jpg)
Special thanks to the