Community Reading of the Declaration of Independence

Wednesday, July 8, 6pm

Location: To be determined

On July 8th, communities nationwide will participate in “Sharing the Spirit of America,” a synchronized, neighbor-to-neighbor public reading of the Declaration of Independence, exactly 250 years after its first public reading in 1776. Events will occur across all 50 states and territories in libraries, town squares, and schools.

The event will begin and end with live music performances.

“The Declaration’s words—“all men are created equal”—were proclaimed by a small circle of wealthy, well‑educated men in powdered wigs, many of whom denied those very rights to others. And yet those words sparked Unfinished Revolutions: abolishing slavery; restoring and lifting Indigenous voices; expanding the vote; welcoming immigrants; empowering civil rights and labor movements; sending girls to school—then into laboratories—legislatures—and low Earth orbit. The arc is imperfect—and still bending—because ordinary people keep showing up to make the text true.

​At its heart, this event affirms two enduring truths: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,” and “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal… endowed… with certain unalienable Rights… among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” On July 8, we gather not only to read these words, but to live them—locally, lawfully, and together.” – America250MI website

Sponsored by: the City of Frankfort and the Elberta Labor Heritage Center