Howard County gifted civil rights display
Foundation Forward presents document featuring Constitutional amendments
This article is brought to you by Friends to Elect Kara Kitts-McKibben.
Nearly nine years ago, Howard County received the gift of this country’s founding documents, engraved in bronze and installed on the courthouse lawn. Last week, the donating organization – Foundation Forward – returned its generosity to the community with a second donation.
In a ceremony at the Howard County Administration Center on April 27, Mike Unruh, director of Foundation Forward, presented Howard County Commissioner Jack Dodd with a framed reproduction of the Constitutional amendments that established civil rights in the U.S.
“In 2013, our founder, Vance Patterson, who is a resident of Kokomo, visited the National Archives with his wife, Mary Jo,” said Unruh. “At that time, they were in their 60s. And they were looking at the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. And they were so moved by the experience of seeing these documents that it drove them to tears.
“They asked each other, ‘why are we in our 60s, and this is the first time that we're seeing these in person?’ And, ‘how many people never had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to see these actual documents?’”
The couple decided to have replicas of the founding documents made to be placed in communities across the country. This was the start of their non-profit, Foundation Forward. Kokomo and Jacksonville, Ill., were the first locations to receive displays, as they were the hometowns of Vance and Mary Jo, Unruh explained.
From there, their outreach grew. Over the past decade, Foundation Forward has placed founding documents on display in more than 30 communities across nine states. But there was more to come.
“Over the years, we have had a number of discussions in our office about adding other documents,” said Unruh. “Some places have wanted different documents. One community wanted the Halifax Resolves, which was a North Carolina precursor to the Declaration of Independence. Some places wanted the Emancipation Proclamation. Other locations have asked about all of the amendments? They're part of the Constitution.
“After a lot of study and discussion, it was determined that most of the questions being asked were about the amendments that brought all of our citizens our freedoms: abolishing slavery, the right to vote to all men and all women, and getting rid of anything that would impede that voting process, or your rights as citizens.”
As there is no document that encompasses just the amendments focused on civil rights, Foundation Forward commissioned a calligrapher to create a document to resemble the other historical documents, which includes the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 24th amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Unlike the initial documents donated, which were engraved onto a bronze plaque, this additional document was presented to Howard County as a framed copy on paper, signed by Vance and Mary Jo Patterson.
“You can hang it in a position or a place of prominence,” said Unruh. “We would also like to encourage that this be taken down from time to time and maybe taken around to different schools and shared with the students, or place this during important ceremonies where you're celebrating veterans, first responders, things like that.”
The Five Civil Rights Amendments, as presented
Amendment XIII
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Amendment XIV
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Amendment XV
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Amendment XIX
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Amendment XXIV
The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax.