from the chair
Civics is the Foundation of Democracy
Laura Lawton , AWB Board Chair
How many justices are on the Supreme Court ? What year was the Constitution written ? What is the difference between a U . S . representative and senator ? If you ’ re like me , you had to pause and think on a few of these questions .
I recall my high-school civics class . It ’ s hard to remember exactly what I learned or why it was important . I was focused on applying for colleges and working part-time in my family ’ s fourth-generation printing business . I wasn ’ t thinking about the separation of powers or how a bill becomes a law .
Looking back , I see that civics education is more important than ever . Civics is more than just memorizing trivia . It ’ s about showing students they have a role in our democracy , how to engage and respectfully disagree . It ’ s about finding solutions to complicated problems .
That ’ s the aim of Washington ’ s first-ever Civics Bee on June 1 . AWB joined with local chambers to host the competition in partnership with the U . S . Chamber of Commerce . There will be dozens of statewide competitions across the country . The contests include a live quiz and a $ 500 prize for the top student .
Washington ’ s bee has a stacked panel of judges : a newspaper publisher , the state ’ s top superintendent , and Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is the moderator . The competition started in February with an essay-writing contest . The prompt asked students to “ Identify a problem facing your community . How might you solve the problem ?” I can ’ t wait to see what they came up with .
It sounds cliché to say we are more polarized than ever . Social media has given us more ways to engage and share our views . But there are downsides . As rhetoric gets more and more heated online , we struggle to acknowledge others ’ viewpoints or we dismiss them completely .
A poll last fall from ICivics and More Perfect shows strong support for civics education across party lines , with nearly 70 % of voters agreeing civics knowledge is more important than it was five years ago . Civics education encompasses not just how government and voting work , but how to debate different viewpoints .
AWB does that work to advocate for the needs of employers across the state . We try to persuade lawmakers in Olympia to look out for the interests of businesses . We have difficult conversations and make concessions . AWB has a seat at the table because we engage respectfully with those on opposite sides , sometimes finding surprising common ground . It will take all of us to find solutions to the state ’ s many urgent issues : a lack of affordable housing and child care , workforce shortages , energy needs , and how to ensure Washington ’ s businesses remain competitive .
We hope the Civics Bee will inspire students and adults to become more active and engaged citizens . It starts with knowing the basics , such as finding out how government works and how to make your voice heard , and embracing disagreement and debate .
We also hope the bee will become an annual AWB tradition and continue to grow and evolve . Time to brush up on my civics knowledge . spring 2023 11