Write the U.S. Constitution by hand in West County

Looking to do something patriotic this July? Deepen your understanding of the constitution by writing it out by hand

Handwriting the Constitution, a social art project begun in 2017 by artist Morgan O’Hara, invites people from all walks of life to meet in public spaces to handwrite the U.S. Constitution or other documents written to protect human rights and freedoms.

According to the website for this national and international art project, “This art practice was created so that people will know their rights, deepen their understanding of laws created to protect these rights, and to help resist negative thinking.”

Roughly 2,000 people around the world have participated in this project.

When Sebastopol resident Kenna Lee first read about Handwriting the Constitution, she thought. “I want to do that! There’s so much in the news about ‘There’s a constitutional crisis’ or ‘There’s going to be a constitutional crisis’ and ‘We have to stand up for our constitutional rights’ and I’m like, do I really understand what they are? I mean, I took Government in 10th grade, but that was decades ago.”

Lee reached out to several local cafes and asked if they’d volunteer to host a two-hour constitution writing session. Then she started mentioning it to friends. “A lot of people have responded by being like, ‘Oh, can I do it, too?’ And I'm like, ‘Yes, you can join me any of these days.’”

• Friday, July 4, 1-3 pm, Altamont General Store (Occidental)

• Saturday, July 5, 10 am - noon, Community Market Garden Taproom & Cafe (Sebastopol)

• Monday, July 7, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Region (in the Barlow)

• Wednesday, July 9, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, Ives Park (Sebastopol)

• Wednesday, July 16, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, Ives Park TENTATIVE (Sebastopol)

• Saturday, July 19, 10 am to noon, The Playground Cafe @ St Stephen’s Episcopal Church (Sebastopol)

• Sunday, July 20, 10:30 am to noon, Community Buzz (email for address)

• Monday, July 21, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, Soft Medicine (Sebastopol)

• Wednesday, July 23, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, Ives Park (Sebastopol)

• Thursday, July 24, 5 pm to 7 pm, The Redwood (Sebastopol)

• Friday, July 25, 5:30 pm to 7 pm, Gather (Sebastopol)

Lee said that, according to the project’s organizers, handwriting the entire Constitution takes about 12 hours. You can get a start at one of Lee’s two-hour sessions then finish on your own, or you can come to multiple sessions until you cross the final “t” and dot the final “i” on your completed constitution.

Lee, of course, is planning on handwriting the constitution from start to finish. She said she’s also going to have a kind of collective constitution available for passersby to take part in.

“I’ll have an art pad, and I’ll ask anyone who comes by and talks to me to write one sentence. So we’ll have a constitution written entirely in different handwriting for each sentence, and we'll see if we’re able to achieve that,” she said.

Copies of the Constitution will be provided during each session. Bring your own paper and pen.

Lee asks participants to please support the local businesses that are hosting this project by making a purchase while you’re there.

She doesn’t expect these events to be formal affairs—no powdered wigs or waistcoats required.

“I want to do this in the West County way, which is casual and relaxed. People come and go, and we’ll just see how it is,” Lee said. “In the process, I will both get to learn a lot more about the Constitution and get to talk to a lot of interesting people.”

If you have expertise in constitutional law and want to help writers understand sections of the constitution—or if you own a local business and want to join the fun—email constitutionjuly@gmail.com. Learn more about the original national and international art project here.

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