Submitted to The Dominion Post
The Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, will help establish a new nationwide tradition with the launch of the inaugural Civic Season, in partnership with the Made By Us coalition and Civics Unplugged.
Continuing through Juneteenth (June 19), and culminating after Independence Day (July 4), the Civic Season will engage young citizens throughout the United States with more than 450 programs and resources, including live events, local and digital volunteering opportunities, educational curriculums, and crowdsourced media projects at more than 100 of nation’s most iconic history museums.
These programs and resources can be accessed through a new interactive website, TheCivicSeason.com.
“The History Center is excited to help kickstart a new tradition with the inaugural Civic Season,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the Heinz History Center. “Working with our national partners at Made By Us and the Smithsonian, we’re launching an unprecedented offering of resources and programs that will inspire young citizens in Western Pa. and beyond to learn about history and be an active participant in our democracy.”
The Civic Season empowers Americans to engage with our past, take action in the present, and shape the future through activations in our neighborhoods, cities, and social spaces.
Along with more than 450 online resources offered by TheCivicSeason.com, the Heinz History Center is giving Pittsburghers several exciting ways to get involved in the inaugural Civic Season:
- Visit the American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith exhibition: The History Center examines the bold experiment to create a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” in its dynamic exhibition, American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith. Developed in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), this timely exhibit showcases the history of how we’ve voted, protested, and engaged with our politics, from the nation’s formation to today. Visitors can explore artifacts from our nation’s Founding Fathers, discover Pittsburgh’s impact on the suffrage and civil rights movements, and test their knowledge on the U.S. citizenship exam. Purchase tickets here.
- Juneteenth: Discover the Pittsburgh’s Impact on the Anti-Slavery Movement: Juneteenth marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the U.S. and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. Visitors can explore the history of the anti-slavery movement, the Underground Railroad, and the impact of 19th century activism on the modern quest for civil and human rights in Pittsburgh as part of the History Center’s award-winning exhibition, From Slavery to Freedom, or explore the exhibit digitally on this microsite.
- Compete in the “Civic Season Challenge” on Citizen You: The intuitive and easy-to-use Citizen You mobile app is designed to foster civic engagement by gamifying everyday civic actions. The free app is available for download on the App Store or Google Play.
- Raise the Stars & Stripes at “Fourth at the Fort” event: At 1 p.m. July 4, join the Fort Pitt Museum, boy scouts, and elected officials to raising a 36-foot American flag in Point State Park. Following the flag raising ceremony, visitors can throw tomahawks, learn about Fort Pitt and Western Pennsylvania’s role in the American Revolution, and see costumed interpreters reenact 18th-century life at Fort Pitt.
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