Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green and Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz Speak at 917 Society Constitution Celebration at Mar-a-Lago

PALM BEACH, Florida – U.S. Representatives Mark Green (R-TN-07) was the featured speaker and Matt Gaetz (R-FL-1) was the special guest speaker at the 917 Society’s constitution celebration held at the Mar-a-Lago Club on Saturday evening.

Both congressmen were greeted with enthusiastic standing ovations on their introductions to about 200 supporters of the 917 Society, about double the number of attendees in 2022, who gathered in the club’s grand ballroom for a gourmet dinner that followed a cocktail hour held poolside.

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National Tribute to Law Enforcement Virtual Event Will Celebrate and Honor Police

Next Saturday, Be The People Project is hosting “National Tribute to Law Enforcement,” a virtual event to celebrate and honor police officers.

Civil rights activist Robert L. Woodson Sr. will serve as the keynote speaker. The event will also feature speeches from active and retired law enforcement professionals Kenneth Harms, James Smallwood, Lt. Randy Sutton, and Republican Senate candidate Bill Hagerty.

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Joni Bryan of 917 Society to Host a Constitution Celebration at Nashville City Club Tonight at 6 pm

In a detailed discussion, Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy spoke to in-studio guest Joni Bryan who is the executive director of 917 Society. Bryan talked about the event which will take place today – September 17 – at the Nashville City Club in celebration of the Constitution’s 232nd anniversary.

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Joni Bryan of 917 Society Says Group Will Distribute Free Constitutions to Eighth Graders Nationwide, with Help from Dr. Ming Wang and Lee Beaman

In a discussion Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy spoke to in-studio guest Joni Bryan who is the executive director of 917 Society. The 501-C3 non-profit organization has recently partnered with AmVets to handle distribution of Constitutions for all eighth-graders nationally in hopes to create a “rite of passage” for both the born and naturalized citizens of America.

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917 Society Honors Supporters in Nashville this Week

NASHVILLE — Members of the 917 Society held a luncheon at the Cordell Hull Building in Nashville this week to honor and recognize supporters. As reported, the 917 Society exists to help improve constitutional literacy among Tennessee eighth graders. And because of the 917 Society, every eighth-grader in Tennessee gets a copy of the U.S. Constitution. At their luncheon last week, in the Cordell Hull Building, members recognized, among many others, State Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, State Sen. Ed Jackson, R-Jackson, State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, R-Lancaster, and State Sen. Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro. Meanwhile, State Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, presented a 917 Society Founders Club Award to State Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma. Members of the group also recognized Angie McClanahan, an eighth-grade teacher at Whitmore Middle School in Columbia. “Your generous gifts have made it possible for my eighth-graders to have their own copies of the Constitution,” McClanahan told the crowd. “Our kids don’t have a workbook or a textbook to take home with them. I actually have children who say ‘You mean we get to keep this. One child even said ‘It’s like having knowledge in your pocket.’” Joni Bryan launched the 917 Society just a few years ago.…

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917 Society Members Celebrate Holidays with Big Plans for 2019

NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Members of the 917 Society Founders Club held a holiday party at the Nashville offices of physician Ming Wang Tuesday. As reported, the 917 Society exists to improve constitutional literacy among Tennessee eighth graders. And because of the 917 Society, every eighth-grader in Tennessee gets a copy of the U.S. Constitution. Joni Bryan launched the 917 Society just a few years ago. The 917 Society has already given out 35,000 pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution to eighth-graders in Tennessee. At Tuesday’s party, Bryan discussed plans to give out 50,000 more copies of the Constitution in January. Bryan also announced a membership drive. “Right now, everyone is volunteer. We are working toward having staff members,” Bryan said. “We are hoping to raise $250,000 so we can have five staff members. That is our big goal for the next year.” Also at the gathering, Bryan and Wang presented a Founders Cup Award to State Senator Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, for his work on behalf of the 917 Society. As reported, members of the group pass out copies of the U.S. Constitution to eighth-grade students right before they go to high school and about four years before they start voting. Eighth-grade is…

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917 Society Needs Help Giving Out Constitutions to Tennessee Eighth-Graders

The 917 Society has given out 35,000 pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution to eighth-graders in Tennessee, but there are 50,000 more eighth-graders who still haven’t gotten one. Thus, 917 Society members have started a new fundraising movement to help fill the gap. The goal, said 917 Society Founder Joni Bryant, is to reach those 50,000 students before December 15, which is Bill of Rights Day. “Before these students go to high school, psychologically, it is a great time to reach our young people because they are forming their identity of who they are and we want them to know about the Constitution,” Bryant told The Tennessee Star. “In four years, these eighth-graders will be out voting, and we want them more informed and educated and excited about participating in our form of government.” Nashville physician Ming Wang has already donated $1,000 for the cause, according to a press release. Donations are due by Nov. 1 to guarantee printing and delivery of pocket Constitutions to classrooms before Dec. 15. Anyone interested in Founding Club Member status should donate $1,000 or more and commit to renewing your donation each year before Sept. 17 of next year. Founding Club Members may attend…

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917 Society Celebrates Constitution Day in Tennessee at Residence of Dr. Ming Wang

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — The Republic still stands exactly 231 years to the day after the Founding Fathers signed the U.S. Constitution. But, as Michael Patrick Leahy, editor in chief of The Tennessee Star said Monday at an event emceed by State Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield), “Constitutional literacy is pretty low right now.” That’s one of the reasons the 917 Society exists – to help improve constitutional literacy among Tennessee eighth graders. More than 200 supporters of the 917 Society gathered at the home of prominent Nashville physician Ming Wang on Monday, Sept. 17, to observe Constitution Day. And because of the 917 Society, every eighth-grader in Tennessee gets a copy of the U.S. Constitution. Joni Bryan launched the 917 Society just a few years ago. Eighth-grade is the year students are supposed to have civics in the U.S. curriculum. Due to the lack of funding and resources, teachers find it difficult to add one more thing to their classroom agenda. That’s where the 917 Society comes in. Their goal is to provide every eighth grader in Tennessee with a copy of the Constitution, in which founder Joni Bryan calls “a rite of passage.” Tennessee is the first state to offer…

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Tennessee Star Editor-in-Chief to Guest Host the Dan Mandis Show on WTN Today and Interview Carol Swain About Moral Leadership

Tennessee Star Editor-in-Chief Michael Patrick Leahy will guest host The Dan Mandis Show from noon to 3 p.m. central time on Supertalk 99.7 WTN today, President’s Day, Monday, February 19. The first hour will address the turbulent recent events in Tennessee politics, including Sen. Bob Corker’s (R-TN) potential re-entry into the U.S. Senate race and the controversy surrounding Nashville Mayor Megan Barry. At 12:30 former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain will offer her commentary on Megan Barry’s lack of moral leadership and its impact on Nashville, the hypocrisy of the #metoo movement with regards to Barry’s extramarital affair with her Metro Nashville Police bodyguard, and the Megan Barry Must Resign rally Tuesday. In the 1 p.m. hour, conservative icon Richard Viguerie, president of ConservativeHQ.com, will discuss the status of 2018 midterm elections. In the second half of that hour, author and Reagan biographer Craig Shirley will offer his reflections on Ronald Reagan on President’s Day, discuss his most recent books, Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980 and Citizen Newt:The Making of a Reagan Conservative, and will let us in on his future book projects. The final hour of the program will focus on civic education and instruction of elementary and secondary school…

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Commentary: Reflecting on Our Bill of Rights

Regardless of personal political persuasion or affiliation, American citizens can unite around the Bill of Rights because it communicates our basic shared values. Limiting the power of government and safeguarding the rights of our citizens is something we must all make a conscientious effort to protect. We should be especially appreciative for the protection afforded in our Bill of Rights against a national government gaining ground against our most fundamental rights—freedom of speech, protest, and conscience guarantees our equal protection under the law. A free society does not just occur. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.

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917 Society’s Work to Promote U.S. Constitution Featured in Ferrier Files on Fox 17 News

The 917 Society’s efforts to promote the U.S. Constitution were featured in a story Thursday by Dennis Ferrier on Nashville’s Fox 17 News. A nonpartisan nonprofit based in the Nashville area, the 917 Society aims to get a free copy of the Constitution to every eighth grader in Tennessee. “This is the one thing that binds us together no matter what we believe,” Joni Bryan, founder and executive director of the 917 Society, told Fox 17. Bryan has been mailing or delivering hundreds of copies of the Constitution to schools across the state. The copies include an oath of citizenship to make the Constitution more personally meaningful to the students receiving them. Ann Marie Crozier, a history teacher at Richview Middle School in Clarksville, is using the 917 Society booklets with her students. Crozier said students have taken better care of the Constitutions than is typical for materials associated with classroom activities. “We are not finding these in the trash can. We’re not finding them on the floor,” she told Fox 17. “I have one child that dropped hers on the floor and was real excited to get it back.” Thirteen-year-old Nicholas Newman, who was interviewed in Crozier’s classroom, said the…

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Latinos For Tennessee Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, Focuses On American Identity

Tennessee Star

When Montgomery County Commissioner Tommy Vallejos was first elected to the commission in 2010, he said his race was not an issue. The statement he gave at the time was featured in a press release from Latinos For Tennessee this week, part of a series of news releases from the conservative political action group celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Vallejos serves as the group’s board chairman and also is a pastor. “My race or ethnicity never came up, nor was an issue,” said Vallejos after winning his county commission seat. “Still I am proud to be the first Latino to be elected as a county commissioner in Montgomery County. I believe the likelihood of more Hispanic men and women being elected to office is possible because we are are all Americans and should dream and dream big. So many politicians are using Latinos as political piñatas. I never allowed that to be a determining factor in my decision to run for office.” The press release also included a short video featuring Vallejos produced by the 917 Society, a Nashville area nonprofit that promotes the U.S. Constitution. In the video, Vallejos talks about growing up in New Mexico surrounded by gang violence. “My out…

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917 Society Celebrates Constitution, Still Giving Out Free Pocket Copies to Eighth-Graders

Members of the 917 Society traveled around Tennessee last week giving away free pocket Constitutions to eighth-graders to mark Constitution Week. The Nashville area nonprofit has reached 10,000 students so far with the launch of its Constitution Project, which is for public, private and homeschooled students. In Tennessee, eighth-grade is an important year for civics education, including an emphasis on the Constitution. The group is continuing to fulfill requests for copies of the pocket Constitutions. The group also makes available other resources for teachers, including a short documentary on the Constitution narrated by Kentucky journalist Nick Clooney, father of actor George Clooney and brother of the late singer Rosemary Clooney. Other films and resources will be developed for future years. Joni Bryan, executive director of the 917 Society, told The Tennessee Star that one challenge her group faces is that recognition of Constitution Week in Tennessee schools is uneven from school to school. “The biggest problem is there is no consistent program or promotion at the state level,” Bryan said. School districts generally leave decisions on recognizing Constitution Week up to individual schools and teachers. Bryan said the teachers who gravitated toward the 917 Society’s resources for Constitution Week were grateful…

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917 Society Offering Free Resources to Eighth-Grade Teachers to Help Educate Students About Constitution

  Constitution Week is coming up soon, and the 917 Society is prepared to get the word out about why it is so important. The group is making available a free program and pocket constitutions to all Tennessee eighth-grade social studies teachers to mark Constitution Day Sept. 17 and Constitution Week, which falls around that date. The U.S. Constitution is an area of focus in the eighth-grade curriculum. The program consists of a short documentary film narrated by Nick Clooney and a variety of other free resources, including The Tennessee Star Constitution Series. Joni Bryan, founder of the 917 Society, has worked on the Constitution project for nearly three years. The project is funded with private donations. The group does not receive state or federal funds. “We want every year for all eighth-grade students to receive their Constitution as a rite of passage into citizenship,” Bryan said. This September 17 marks the 230th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The 917 Society’s mission is to reach 4.5 million students nationally, with Tennessee being the first state covered. The goal is to reach almost 90,000 Tennessee eighth-graders annually, including public, private and homeschooled students. Bryan said the group will…

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Nick Clooney Helps Tennesseans Promote Constitution at 917 Society Benefit

FRANKLIN, Tennessee — Most all Tennessee schoolchildren know at least a little about the U.S. Constitution, but members and supporters of the 917 Society say there’s more to be done to help students understand its background and importance. The Nashville area nonpartisan group held a benefit Tuesday evening at the Franklin Theatre to raise money for a project to put the Constitution in the hands of eighth-graders and to complete an educational documentary on the founding document narrated by Nick Clooney, a Kentucky journalist, author and former anchorman. Clooney, father of actor George Clooney and brother of the late singer Rosemary Clooney, attended the event Tuesday with his wife, Nina, to whom he has been married since 1959. In 2004, Clooney made an unsuccessful run in Kentucky for a congressional seat as a Democrat. He is widely respected for his media work and has received an Emmy for commentary and another for historical narration. Attendees at Tuesday’s event were treated to a video featuring Clooney, a skit and a panel discussion. In the video, Clooney said the Founding Fathers “in a brilliant fashion” were able to produce the Constitution through patience and negotiation. “It’s my dictionary of democracy and I have it…

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Nick Clooney to Appear in Franklin Tonight at Premiere of Constitution Documentary He Narrates

FRANKLIN, Tennessee–Television host and former news anchor Nick Clooney and his wife Nina will be part of the “Old Hollywood” themed film premiere at the Franklin Theatre at 6:30 pm tonight of a documentary on the Constitution he narrates. Attendees are invited to “walk the red carpet with Nick and Nina Clooney” at the event organized by the 917 Society to promote its new film aimed at high school students. In an exclusive interview on Monday with The Tennessee Star, Clooney, father of movie star George Clooney, explained why at 83 years of age he agreed to narrate the film. “If this doesn’t ring a bell with the kids, then we have to find another way to do it, because the young people, right now, have no idea what the Constitution is, what it means, what it stands for,” Clooney said of the documentary he narrates. “We used to, of course, have to learn the preamble in school. We had to learn to do that, and we had to recite it every year in our Civics class. We had to know what that meant to us, and how we were just floundering as a nation after the Revolutionary War with the…

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