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This past April 19 marked 250 years since those first battles of the American Revolution erupted on Lexington Green and then spilled on to the road to Concord. That day Harvard alumni like Isaac Gardener, along with six College undergraduates, joined more than 4,000 other Massachusetts militiamen in the first armed rebellion against their British rulers’ efforts to stamp out protests in the thirteen colonies.
Reflecting on the bravery of those Minutemen in his “Concord Hymn”, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Class of 1821, wrote more than sixty years later:
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.
Celebrations of the founding of America and its democracy have already begun to ring out across the land. We at ClassACT HR73 join in that wish to keep alive the spirit and noblest principles of our founders, ideas like “liberty, justice and equality for all.”
DEMOCRACY @250
To honor our nation and our democracy, ClassACT HR73 has, for the first time, chosen a theme for the year: Democracy @250. We plan to explore this theme in our online forums, our monthly newsletter and in our ClassACTion Alerts throughout this sestercenntenial year.
Active citizenship has never been more important than it is today. We hear from many of you that you are looking for ways to take action to strengthen our democracy, its institutions, and the rights of citizens, and those who call this country home. We are proud of the work done by members of the Class of 1973 in polling stations, in court rooms, in classrooms and other places where democracy can be nurtured.
JOIN US!
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We invite you to join ClassACT HR73 as a member of one of our working groups:
We need minds, hearts, and most importantly, folks who want to dig in, develop projects and then work collaboratively to get the job done. The efforts of ClassACT volunteers touch not only the Harvard community but also countless others who listen to our forums and webinars or benefit from the service of our 15 Bridges, the classmate-sponsored nonprofits that we often help advise.
If you want to join one of these committees, please email us at classacthr73@gmail.com and let us know what group is of interest. One of the leaders will be in contact.
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IT'S A MOVEMENT...
While our focus this year is on American democracy, our commitment to our international projects is ongoing and vital. We foster democracy across the globe through initiatives like our Benazir Bhutto Leadership Program and our support of the United Nations Association of Greater Boston.
Here at ClassACT we have understood from the start that in working together to create positive change, we can do more together than we can as individuals. Alumni from other Harvard classes can also join ClassACT HR73 to get help starting a ClassACT for their own class. In addition, please consider joining Crimson Courage, the group of Harvard alumni dedicated to supporting Harvard’s fight for academic freedom.
“It is not too late to Change the World!” So as the great African-American spiritual “Hold On” exhorts us to do: “keep your hand on the plow and hold on!”
