Amending the Education Clause of the Colorado Constitution
Previous Drafts & Notes on Process
Drafting the language to amend our state’s charter requires a process, intentional yet flexible, for arriving at consensus. The “As It Could Be” updates are evidence of the week-to-week change (or, conversely, stasis) in the drafts. The weekly meetings are an open forum in which any member of R2L can initiate discussion regarding an element of the amendment or propose a bid to add or remove language. Those bids are a hallmark of the multi-faceted process through which R2L makes meaning and builds understanding. Moreover, the micro-process of bidding is perhaps the most powerful tool any member of R2L can possess because it is the medium through which he, she, they can participate meaningfully and leave a thumbprint on the proceedings.
R2L Candidate Amendment
Reviewed by the CO Legislative Council
on Friday, November 12th, 2021
“Education is a fundamental right belonging to all human persons; it is a means for achieving social equality and necessary for the fulfillment of freedom, justice, and peace. Thus, the State shall defend the right to education against all incursions by any entity, public or private. By definition, education strengthens the individual and community, it unfits the individual for servitude, and fosters solidarity among all people. Furthermore, education enables the actualization of human potential through the arts, sciences, and humanities. Public schools are sanctuaries, spaces where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate, spaces where compassionate guidance abounds. Guided by the principles of integrity and equity, the State shall ensure that all public school students have ongoing and diverse opportunities to meaningfully participate in their education. As a paramount requisite of education, meaningful participation fulfills the promise of the public schools as havens for learning and growth, crucibles for inquiry and experimentation, forums for dialogue and dissent. In sum, the State shall create and maintain public schools as safe and healthy spaces where people will experience their inherent dignity and understand the rights flowing from it.
April 16th, 2021 Draft
“Given the human need for light in the form of knowledge, it is the responsibility of the state to be persistent and purposeful in providing free public education that is equal, equitable and humanizing to all people. Public schools are sanctuaries, spaces where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate. The demands of dignity require recognition, action, and protection of the fundamental rights all people are born with to learn, grow, and aspire by cultivating one’s mind, humanity, and potential. Built upon foundations instilled with love and care, the state will secure these rights through provisions for the creation and maintenance of safe and healthy environments, forged in the bonds of community and trust. Furthermore, cultivate and encourage opportunities of meaningful participation that affirm one another’s worth as living beings.”
March 12th, 2021 Draft
“Given the human need for light in the form of knowledge, it is the responsibility of the state to be persistent and purposeful in providing free public education that is equal, equitable and humanizing to all people. Public schools are sanctuaries, spaces where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate. The demands of dignity require recognition, action, and protection of the fundamental rights all people are born with to learn, grow, and aspire by cultivating one’s mind, humanity, and potential. Conscious of the binding obligations and duties of these rights, the state shall be responsible for creating educational environments that are safe and healthy. Thus, schools shall be places where people experience just treatment and mutually affirm one another’s worth as living beings. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned rights is the ongoing provision of opportunities for people to meaningfully participate in determining the course of their education.”
March 5th, 2021 Draft
“Given the human need for light in the form of knowledge, it is the responsibility of the state to be persistent and purposeful in providing a free public education that is equal, equitable and humanizing to all people. Public schools are sanctuaries, spaces where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate. The demands of dignity require recognition, action, and protection of the fundamental rights all people are born with to learn, grow, and aspire by cultivating one’s mind, humanity, and potential. Conscious of the binding obligations and duties of these rights, the state shall be responsible for creating educational environments that are safe and healthy. Thus, schools shall be places where people experience just treatment and mutually affirm one another’s worth as living beings. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned rights is the ongoing provision of opportunities for people to meaningfully participate in determining the course of their education.”
February 19th – 26th, 2021 Draft
“Given the human need for light in the form of knowledge, it is the responsibility of the state to be persistent and purposeful in providing a free public education that is equal, equitable and humanizing to all people. Public schools are sanctuaries, spaces where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate. The demands of dignity require recognition that all people are born with the fundamental rights to learn, grow, and aspire by cultivating one’s mind, humanity, and potential. Conscious of the binding obligations and duties of these rights, the state shall be responsible for creating educational environments that are safe and healthy. Thus, schools shall be places where people experience just treatment and mutually affirm one another’s worth as living beings. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned rights is the ongoing provision of opportunities for people to meaningfully participate in determining the course of their education.”
February 19th, 2021 Draft
“Given the human need for light in the form of knowledge, it is the responsibility of the state to be persistent and purposeful in providing a free public education that is equal, equitable and humanizing to all people. Public schools are sanctuaries, spaces where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate. The demands of dignity require recognition that all people are born with the fundamental rights to learn, grow, and aspire by cultivating one’s mind, humanity, and potential. Conscious of the binding obligations and duties of these rights, the state shall be responsible for creating educational environments that are safe and healthy. Thus, schools shall be places where people experience just treatment and mutually affirm one another’s worth as living beings. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned rights is the ongoing provision of opportunities for people to meaningfully participate in determining the course of their education.”
January 8th – February 12th, 2021 Draft (No changes in wording during this period due to ongoing discussion of various bids to alter the candidate amendment)
“Given the human need for light in the form of knowledge, it is the responsibility of the state to be persistent in providing free public education to all its people on an equal and equitable basis. Public schools are sanctuaries, places where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate. The demands of dignity require recognition that all people are born with the fundamental rights to learn, grow, and aspire by cultivating one’s mind, humanity, and potential. Conscious of the binding obligations and duties of these rights, the state shall be responsible for creating educational environments that are safe and healthy. Thus, schools shall be places where people experience just treatment and mutually affirm one another’s worth as living beings. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned rights is the ongoing provision of opportunities for people to meaningfully participate in determining the course of their education.”
December 4th, 11th, & 18th 2020 Drafts (No changes in wording during this period due to ongoing discussion of various bids to alter the candidate amendment)
“Given the human need for light in the form of knowledge, it is the responsibility of the state to provide free public education to all its people on an equal basis. Public schools are sanctuaries, places where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate. The demands of dignity require that all people are born with the fundamental rights to learn, grow, and aspire by cultivating one’s mind, humanity and potential. Conscious of the binding obligations and duties of these rights, the state shall be responsible for creating educational environments that are safe and healthy. Thus, schools shall be places where people experience just treatment and mutually affirm one another’s worth as living beings. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned rights is the ongoing provision of opportunities for people to meaningfully participate in determining the course of their education.”
November 27th, 2020 Draft
“Schools are sanctuaries, places where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate. By this virtue, all people have a right to learn, work and grown in environments that are, healthy and mutually affirm the feeling of just treatment and inherent worth of the individual. Recognizing this, the state shall provide, to all people on an equal basis, an education in harmony with their dignity. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned right is the provision of the opportunity to meaningfully participate throughout the entire course of their education. Therefore, the state shall assist all students in realizing their human potential.”
November 20th, 2020 Draft
“Schools are sanctuaries, places where the inherent and inalienable dignity of the human person is inviolate. By this virtue, all people have a right to learn, work, and grow in environments that are safe, healthy, and mutually affirm the feeling of just treatment and inherent worth of the individual. Recognizing this, the state shall provide, to all people on an equal basis, an education in harmony with their dignity. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned right is the provision of the opportunity to meaningfully participate throughout the entire course of their education. Therefore, the state shall assist all public school students to realize their human potential.”
November 13th, 2020 Draft
“Schools are sanctuaries, places where the inherent dignity of the human person must be inviolate. Recognizing the inherent dignity of the human person, the state shall provide, to all people on an equal basis, an education in harmony with their dignity. By virtue of their dignity, all people have a right to learn and grow. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned right is the provision of the opportunity to meaningfully participate throughout the entire course of their education. Therefore, the state shall assist all public school students to realize their human potential. The safety and health of students and school personnel shall be inviolate.”
November 6th, 2020 Draft
“Recognizing the inherent dignity of the human person, the state shall provide, to all people on an equal basis, an education in harmony with their dignity. By virtue of their dignity, all people have a right to learn and grow. A paramount requisite of the aforementioned right is the provision of the opportunity to meaningfully participate throughout the entire course of their education. Therefore, the state shall assist all public school students to realize their human potential. The safety and health of students and school personnel shall be inviolate. Schools are sanctuaries, places where people are free from violations of their inherent dignity, and free to create formative social capacities”
Highlander Folk School Audio Archive
In 2016, we procured 50 analog cassettes from the Highlander Folk School Audio Collection (we were initially informed that digital recordings could be produced, but the cost was prohibitive). Administered by the Tennessee State Library and Archives, the Collection contains recordings of organization activities from 1953-1963. Accounting for 18 of the 25 hours on tape was a six-day 1962 voter education workshop.
- Audio recordings from the Collection allow us to document specific objective and subjective factors of educational experience: what people said, how they said it, what conceptual tools were used, and how meaning was constructed. They also present an opportunity to treat people’s words as a primary text in order to show how meaningful participation and educational dignity are accomplished in social interaction.One free ticket per special exhibition
Dignity & Social Interaction: Desegregation of the University of Alabama
Building on previous work on the social interactional study of dignity, we examine Robert Drew’s ‘Crisis,’ a cinéma vérité film produced in 1963 about the conflict between the Kennedy administration and Governor George Wallace over a federal court order to integrate the University of Alabama. We use use this documentary footage to show how the inter-personal experience of dignity—an historically contingent aspect of the inalienable and supreme value of the human person—was generated through the complex interaction between state and federal officials and the two citizens attempting to enter the university: Vivian Malone and James Hood. Additionally, as a way of informing the footage, we analyze interviews conducted with Malone and Hood, both African American, after enrollment to show how federal involvement and community solidarity worked to generate an enduring, albeit fraught, intra-personal sense of dignity.
