With the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birthday now less than two months away, local celebratory activities have taken place and others are in the works.
It was a beautiful Friday morning a week ago, and Southeastern’s green space where the tennis courts used to be provided the perfect setting for the planting of a live oak named “Liberty Tree.” The sapling stands where it can soak up the sun away from the shade of older majestic live oaks nearby.
During the brief ceremony, Southeastern’s Assistant Director of Landscape and Grounds Carlos Doolittle assured the soil is good and the tree will be well-attended as it grows for years to come.
President William Wainwright explained “Liberty Tree” is the 200th tree recently planted on the campus and it is part of a nationwide initiative honoring the 250th year.
History Professor Sam Hyde told interesting facts including that the first Liberty Tree was planted in Boston and chopped down by the British in 1775 — to no avail.
The grass where the tennis courts used to be was a tad wet and not soggy for the nice turnout that included the Southeastern Reserve Officers Training Corps, other Southeastern representatives, parish government officials, mayors of Hammond and Ponchatoula, legislators on their way to Baton Rouge, representatives of the Halimar Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the local League of Women Voters.
DAR and the LWV members were all smiles when President Wainwright said a committee will decide an official name for the green space in time for them to start publicizing their 250th-year celebration to be held there July 8. More details about that event will be forthcoming.
RIGHT / RITE TO CELEBRATE — Also Friday morning, other LWV members attended a Senior Day program at Ponchatoula High School, just the latest local school they have visited this spring. Hundreds of local students have gotten questions answered, received information and registered to vote.
Not only is voting an American right and responsibility, but becoming a registered voter is a rite of passage. Youth at age 17 can register to vote and, on turning 18, can cast their ballot in the next election.
The league has been present at career fairs, festivals and other local events. On Saturday, the first day of early voting, the LWV provided voter registration information at the Hammond Farmers Market on Saturday. At these events, it is not uncommon for people to pull out their phones, access geauxvote.com and become registered voters on the spot.
IT MATTERS —This 250th anniversary also comes at a time of turmoil at all levels of government. People say they are tired of all the confusion, the daily chaos, the politics.
But actually, is it the politics or is it the partisan divisiveness that has become so tiresome? Politics are not partisan.
The Rev. Dr. Shannon Fleck, executive director of Faithful America, got my attention with those words the other day. On a recent tour of Louisiana, she stopped in Hammond to talk with various local clergy and religious people about politics.
Politics is about governance and community issues, not party loyalty, she said.
Our government is of the people, by the people and for the people. And the people are diverse — not one party, one gender, one race, one faith, one socio-economic level or one tax bracket. What’s more, our issues are not inherently partisan in themselves.
The Democratic Republic our Founders established 250 years ago remains a government worth believing in and fighting for. Let’s not give up on it.
It’s our right and duty as citizens to learn facts about it, know who are the people elected to lead and serve us, call or write to them about issues we care about, stay informed about their decisions and actions, vote in the elections and even run for office ourselves.
We would do well to elect leaders who put priority on finding common ground and real solutions for the people of our communities, state and nation instead of focusing on party loyalties and their own concerns.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization. That is, the league takes positions on policy issues — like voting rights — without adhering to any party’s agenda.
LWV-Tangipahoa President Alma Chasez, a retired federal judge, frequently tells people, “Your vote is your voice. And what do you do with your voice? You speak! Don’t tell me your vote doesn’t matter. Your vote matters just as much as my vote. Let your voice be heard.”
Lil Mirando is an LWV member and can be reached at lilmirando@gmail.com. Dr. Fleck hopes to speak with more clergy when she returns to Hammond later this summer.
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