The fourth week of the Task F.O.R.C.E. program focused on the topic of citizens’ rights and responsibilities. On Monday, July 27, students reviewed the rights and responsibilities listed in The Citizen’s Almanac, a document published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for naturalized citizens. The rights listed in this document are the right to freedom of expression, freedom to worship freely, right to a speedy trial by a jury of one’s peers, to bear arms, to vote in elections, to apply for federal employment, to run for office, and to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The responsibilities of citizens are to support and defend the constitution, to stay informed, to vote in elections, to respect others’ rights, opinions, and beliefs, engage with the community, to pay taxes, to serve on a jury, and to defend the country if the need arises.
On Tuesday, the Task F.O.R.C.E. was joined by a guest speaker, Attorney Sasha Watson, who, among other types of cases, works immigration cases. Attorney Watson herself is an immigrant to the United States, and she spoke about the importance of being a good citizen by upholding our responsibilities the value of the rights we are granted as citizens. Lead by Attorney Watson, Task F.O.R.C.E. members engaged in discussion about the importance of being aware and involved in our communities as citizens. For example, not all laws are “good” laws and some may be harmful; by being aware of these laws that may be harmful, citizens can take actions to change these laws. Additionally, Attorneys Sasha Watson and Shannon Davis emphasized that voicing one’s opinions is necessary in order to be an engaged citizen.
When the Task F.O.R.C.E. reconvened on Thursday, students and attorneys La-Zondra Randolph and Shannon Davis shared the rights and responsibilities that they all believe are most important and why. Next week is the final week of the first-ever session of the Task F.O.R.C.E. program, and the topic will be discussing the 2020 presidential campaigns.
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