In honor of Jonathan Daniels, and in response to a dialogue at a community forum, local organizations, individuals, and youth have come together to create and install ten banners on Main Street, featuring images of Jonathan Daniels and quotes from local youth about the privilege of voting.
The Center for Civic Engagement at Antioch University held two deliberative dialogue sessions in the Spring, around the topic of voter participation. During the April forum, “Democracy Depends on Voter Participation,” a number of ideas and initiatives were generated by community member participants. One idea generated was to honor Jonathan Daniels and his fight for voter rights more intentionally throughout the community during the election process.
This idea was brought to the St. James Episcopal Church youth group, which engaged with a number of community members and organizations – Keene Rotary Club, Elm City Rotary Club, Keene State College, and others – to create the banners for Downtown Keene.
“The young people who walked in Jonathan Daniels footsteps want to encourage the community to honor one of our own, Jonathan Daniels, by voting. The Center for Civic Engagement is excited and proud to have participated in this collaborative effort. This is what the Center is all about,” said Molly Kelly, Center for Civic Engagement Co-Director and NH State Senator.
The Antioch University Center for Civic Engagement’s mission is to engage a broad and diverse group in deliberate dialogue forums about issues that are important to this community, resulting in collective decisions for community action and sustainable civic engagement.
