“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
~ The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, from the Bill of Rights
and a creative idea can literally change the world overnight. We’ve seen social media campaigns draw extraordinary attention and build enormous energy to help improve our quality of life and environment. Petitioning for change doesn’t just belong to the professionals anymore.
What do you feel is the role of individual citizens in maintain- ing the long-held freedoms that we enjoy today?
It’s important that we never take the First Amendment for granted. Ask yourself this question: “What does the First Amendment say?” Surprisingly, only about 5 percent of Americans can describe the scope of the freedoms con- tained in the First Amendment. We too often take it for granted. The surest way to lose freedom is not to treasure it.
To increase awareness about the impor- tance of these five freedoms, we’ve teamed up with educators, journalists, advocates, attorneys and librarians to celebrate the First Amendment in a campaign called 1 for All. If you don’t know as much about the First Amend- ment as you’d like,
1ForAll.us is a great place to start.
Martin Miron is a freelance writer and editor for Natural Awakenings. Connect at
emem.creative@
gmail.com.
natural awakenings July 2011 45
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