Officials and educators celebrated the unveiling of the Virgin Islands-centric Civics textbook on Saturday afternoon at Government House on St. Croix.
“The foundation of any functioning democracy is the ability of its citizens to make informed decisions — such as electing representatives and understanding the laws that govern them,” said Yvette McMahon-Arnold, facilitator of the V.I.-Centric Civics Project. “Without an informed population, a democracy cannot survive.”
Saturday’s presentation was years in the making. Act 7934 was passed by the 31st Legislature and signed into law in 2016. That legislation required that there be a “structured civics course for grades 9-12 which utilizes materials relevant to the Virgin Islands and includes the functions of the three branches of Government of the Virgin Islands and the roles of public officials.”
“We’re a very small community,” said V.I.-Centric Civics Project Coordinator Lauren Larsen. “And we find that when textbook manufacturers begin to develop textbooks, they develop it with states like California, Texas, and they leave New York in mind. And they gear their content around what the students of those states need, and then they market it to the rest of the world — or the rest of America.”
“These textbooks that we’ve developed are developed specifically for our children,” he said. “No one in Atlanta is gonna want that. No one in California is going to see it. These are for our students, and the idea is that these students are going to be our community leaders. And once they have those ideals — the ideals of civic responsibility, civic duty, taking part in and engaging in the community, then we’re on the road to making the Virgin Islands a better place.”
Larsen said the text will introduce students to Virgin Islands geology, geography, and history while teaching them about United States civics.
“But you’re also going to be exposed to what happens in the Virgin Islands,” he said, highlighting sections about past delegates to Congress or the territory’s government.
Senate President Novelle Francis Jr., who sponsored the legislation calling for the textbook’s creation during his tenure in the 31st Legislature, said his career as a law enforcement officer left him concerned about what he perceived as a lack of understanding about the local government and how it works.
“Ultimately, seeing this process evolve from an idea to a fully realized textbook and curriculum is a very proud moment for me,” he said, lauding the work of the V.I. Education Department, Larsen, McMahon-Arnold and those who worked on the project. “I’ve seen this textbook throughout its many stages of development, and I’m in awe of the way civics is presented in a culturally and politically appropriate context.”
The textbook itself is substantial, and Education Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington told the Source that she initially wondered how her students were going to be able to carry it.
“But they assured me that there’s a digital component, and so the text is online as well,” she said. “And then the students would be able to access the digital book when they get home.“
Wells-Hedrington said that during her meetings with students, she’s heard them question the relevancy of course materials to their own lives.
“And so this particular text — and I had the opportunity to just glance through several pages of it — our students are going to see people that look like them, people that they know, and then they’re going to learn about the Virgin Islands’ culture and what it means to be a Virgin Islands citizen and what their rights are, in addition to learning about U.S. civics,” she said, calling it an excellent opportunity and learning tool. “And I’m just excited to see it really get into the hands of our teachers and students.”
Some speakers during Saturday’s ceremony spoke to the broader implications of civics education in the Virgin Islands community.
“As I listen to the conversation and the presentation that’s before us this afternoon — and as I look at what’s happening in our community today, with regards to all of the misinformation and all the things that are happening and the social media, et cetera — this is very important,” said Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory. “And I know this is student-centered, but I’m going to take this opportunity to ask — my ask around this is that we not only keep this for our students. We have to figure out how to get this out to our community.”
Saturday’s civics textbook unveiling came one day after a prominent government official resigned following a federal grand jury indictment on charges of bribery and engaging in a wire fraud scheme. Two other former cabinet members — who resigned in June — were separately indicted on similar charges.
