Amber Duke

Special to The Courier-Journal

Sept. 17 marks the 227th anniversary of the U.S. Constitutional Convention’s adoption of our Constitution in 1787. Back in 2004, Congress enacted a law declaring this date to be Constitution Day, requiring all schools that receive federal funding to observe the day by teaching a curriculum on the U.S. Constitution. A 2011 proclamation by President Barack Obama extended the day of observance to a week Sept. 17-23.

Do you have Constitution Day or Constitution Week marked on your calendar? Odds are, probably not; but you should.

Imagine what life might be like without the constitutional protections too many of us take for granted. For the next few moments, in honor of Constitution Day, join me in a thought-exercise of what your life might be like if the U.S. Constitution were suspended today:

You wake up; grab a cup of coffee, and sit down to the computer to read the latest headlines, news and opinion pieces in the Courier Journal. Strangely, it seems the website has been taken down. There is a note saying authorities were not pleased with some recent stories in the paper and the Courier and its reporters are on suspension.

You hop in the car, and on your way to the office, you notice flashing lights in your rear-view mirror. You pull over, and a law enforcement officer tells you that, you have been selected for a random vehicle search. After nothing is found, you get back in the car, confused, and finally make it to the office.

At lunch time, you grab your sack lunch and meet up with a couple of colleagues who are headed outside to a downtown park to eat. When you arrive, you notice the park has been partitioned into sections — one area is for men, the other for women. Upon closer examination you find each section has been subdivided into racial categories, and the usually lively “Speakers Corner” is empty. When you ask someone else in the park where the debaters went, you learn they were taken into custody. But you are not able to get many more details because the person quickly put her finger to her lips and pointed to a newly installed surveillance system that seems to be recording your every move.

After a long, puzzling day, you head off to your place of worship for Wednesday evening services. When you arrive, you notice a crowd out front. As you approach the front doors, you see a chain and padlock. There is also a notice on the door saying your place of worship has been closed by authorities because they have some concerns about your system of belief. Outraged, you return home and log on to the computer to file a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, but it seems their website has been shut down, too.

This Orwellian day is presented for dramatic purposes to make clear the fundamental rights our U.S. Constitution codifies: freedom of speech, association, and assembly; freedom of the press and freedom of religion supported by church-state separation; our right to equal protection under the law — equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin; our right to due process — fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of our liberty or property is at stake; our right to privacy — freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into our personal and private affairs.

We often think of the U.S. Constitution as a fragile, yellowing document of our historical past.

In reality the U.S. Constitution is a powerful, living document that has been amended 27 times to fulfill the promise of liberty. While the framers of the U.S. Constitution have long since passed away, “We, the People” endure, fighting daily for the kind of society we want to be.

In a few months, the ACLU of Kentucky will mark 60 years of working in communities across the commonwealth, the legislature and the courts to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties the U.S. Constitution guarantees. As ACLU of Kentucky member Jane Hope recently reminded me, “People wonder how it is that our Constitution is still good more than 200 years later, and it’s because people like us keep it going.”

Amber G. Duke is the communications manager for the ACLU of Kentucky. To learn more about Constitution Day activities, and see a picture of the national ACLU billboard in Times Square honoring Louisville’s Muhammad Ali as a Champion of Liberty, visit www.aclu-ky.org