Proud to Be an American
The latest TYLA project teaches students American civics and gratitude for their privileges.
By Eric Quitugua
The Texas Young Lawyers Association is set to launch its new signature
project, Proud to Be an American, a duo of videos that educates
students K-12 on the rights and responsibilities of being a U.S.
citizen. It is the brainchild of TYLA President Sally Pretorius, who
came up with the project after touring detention centers along the
Mexican border with TYLA Past President Baili Rhodes in November 2017.
After hearing harrowing tales from refugee children and their
motivations for coming to the U.S., Pretorius and Rhodes were galvanized
to remind students what privileges are granted to American citizens and
teach them about their civic duties.
“Being an American means having the ability to vote for who I think is
the best candidate, being able to express my thoughts and views without
fear of government retaliation or suppression, having an open
government, and knowing that if I ever wanted, I could run for office,”
Pretorius said. “It also comes with duties—to be an educated voter, to
vote, to pay taxes, and to serve on a jury.”
Proud to Be an American, made possible by a generous grant
from the Texas Bar Foundation, uses the immigrant story to highlight
some of those coveted rights and to motivate students to make good use
of their privileges by becoming more active in their communities and
democracy. TYLA’s Law Focused Education Committee teamed up with
Austin-based ad agency Makes Media to develop videos that put faces to
those concepts: one geared toward elementary students and one aimed at
middle and high school students.
The video for middle and high school students is set in documentary
format and includes historical photographs, media footage, and graphics.
It features interviews with U.S. citizens and also people currently in
the process of becoming naturalized—people from Mexico, Asia, and Russia
shared their experiences on camera. Additionally, Proud to Be an
American draws commentary from scholars, a voting rights expert,
and elected officials. Elementary students will see an animated video
that includes a condensed, age-appropriate version of the same
material.
The project also takes the form of written materials and includes
worksheets, games, and quizzes for educators to use in classrooms. All
of the content will meet the state’s Texas Essential Knowledge and
Skills, or TEKS, requirements. This spring, TYLA members across all 20
districts will present Proud to Be an American to various
schools.
Lauren Sepulveda, TYLA District 13 director and co-lead on the
project, said that when teaching an important concept like civics, it’s
essential to tie what is being taught to real-world people and to show
that these concepts have consequences and effects on the lives of those
living in the U.S.
“A good understanding of civics and the rights and responsibilities of
being a U.S. citizen are more important than ever,” Sepulveda said.
“When American citizens (and non-citizens living in America) understand
them, they are more able to participate in democracy and in their local
communities.”
Sepulveda has spent most of her life living along the Mexican border,
where she grew up with a mix of documented and undocumented immigrants
and native-born U.S. citizens—always aware of the power and
responsibility her own citizenship gave her.
Similarly, TYLA District 2 Director Donald Delgado, a co-chair of the
LFE Committee, watched his parents (his mother is from Mexico and his
father is from Cuba) become U.S. citizens. He even helped quiz them for
the civics test that is part of the naturalization process.
For both, Proud to Be an American hits home.
“Growing up in Cuba, my dad saw firsthand what it is like to not have
certain rights and privileges,” Delgado said. “He taught us not to take
for granted the wonderful opportunities, rights, and privileges that we
are given in this country. That is why I am privileged to help our
committee develop and bring this project to life. The hope is that
everyone who watches the videos in this project is reminded of why we
can all be proud to call ourselves American.”
LFE Committee members said they were careful to keep the tone
apolitical. Proud to Be an American, they said, is an objective
view of naturalization and sticks to highlighting basic rights of
American citizens: freedom of expression, freedom to worship as people
wish, voting, and the right to a prompt and fair trial by jury are just
some of what students will gain an understanding of from the project.
“E pluribus unum” (“Out of many, one”) is the motto on the Great Seal of
the United States,” Pretorius said. “An understanding of the rights and
privileges illustrated in the Constitution and Bill of Rights will help
students understand that what binds us together as Americans is our
belief in these constitutional principles, which transcend ethnic,
cultural, and language differences. Without our belief in those core
constitutional principles, we are no different than any other country.
But, thankfully, we have the privilege of being Americans, and we should
all be proud of that. Out of many, one.”TBJ
For
more information about TYLA projects, go to tyla.org.
