Dear Friends,
On this #GivingTuesdayNow, a new global day of giving and unity, all of us at the National Constitution Center are sending thanks to all of you who have joined us during this difficult time to educate yourselves about the U.S. Constitution.
It’s inspiring to see how many of you have participated since we launched our remote learning opportunities on March 19. Our live classes on the Constitution, which I’m teaching three days a week with Kerry Sautner, our dynamic chief learning officer, have reached over 24,000 learners across America. We are also seeing high engagement in our Interactive Constitution, virtual Town Hall programs, and podcasts. This activity has resulted in a 35% increase in visitors to our website in the last month and time spent on our site has also increased by 69%.
Recent podcasts have explored different aspects of COVID-19 and the Constitution. The popularity of these programs confirms the national hunger for balanced, trusted content that casts light on issues in the news. Thousands of lifelong learners are also joining on Zoom and YouTube for our virtual Town Hall programs on topics ranging from the Electoral College to the constitutional legacy of George Washington.
Yesterday, the National Constitution Center launched an exciting new educational initiative. For the first time in history, the Supreme Court is livestreaming audio of its oral arguments, and we have partnered with C-SPAN to convene leading scholars and advocates from both sides of each case to join the NCC for a live Town Hall discussion about the legal and constitutional arguments in each case.
I’ve moderated two of these live discussions so far, and it’s exciting to learn about the legal arguments together. Please tune in for the remaining argument days, and if you want to prepare in advance, you can read the briefs on either side of each case available at supremecourt.gov. This initiative, as Justice Holmes said of the Constitution, “is an experiment, as all of life is an experiment.” You can register for the free Zoom sessions here to submit questions or watch live on C-SPAN and c-span.org. You can also find the lineup of upcoming virtual offerings for learners of all ages at constitutioncenter.org/calendar.
All of these programs and new learning opportunities are possible only with your support. If you are able, please consider becoming a Member or making a gift to support our online efforts and our year-round educational programs for all.
If you give or join today or through the end of May, I’ll email you an invitation to participate in a live Zoom conversation with me about the Constitution. It will be a great opportunity to answer your constitutional questions and to share what my colleagues and I have learned over the past several weeks—there is so much for us to learn together!
Thank you for continuing to educate yourselves about the Constitution and for your invaluable support of constitutional education for all—its’ more urgently important now than ever.
With appreciation and stay safe,
Jeff
Jeffrey Rosen
President and CEO
