In honor of Constitution Day, Cleveland State Community College invited State Representative Kevin Brooks to speak to American History students on Tuesday. Rep. Brooks spoke on the Constitution and his role as an elected representative.
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is observed each year on Sept. 17 to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787 and “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.”
“I am passionate about history; it was my major at Lee,” stated Rep. Brooks. “I am passionate about passing this history down to the next generation. It was a personal and political thrill to be asked to carry HB 2114 (House Bill 2114), which requires Civics to be taught in all Tennessee schools.”
Rep. Brooks continued, “Although it has been said countless times, by folks much smarter than I, it is indeed still true. If we do not study and learn from and research and glean from where we have been, we will never know where we are going in the future. We must not forget our past.”
Bryan Reed, associate professor of History, said, “Each September the Cleveland State History department hosts an event to remind students of the path taken by the founders to preserve a union of the states and secure the freedoms of the people. We appreciate Representative Brooks’ willingness to take time out of his schedule to share with our students on the fundamental principles in the Constitution.”
Rep. Brooks addressed both the class and Dr. Carl Hite, CSCC president by saying, “I have a great admiration for your president, Carl Hite. I want to say what an honor it has been to serve with you and how much we will miss you in your retirement. You all see him on this campus and you think, he’s in charge, but when you see him on my campus, the Capitol, he is incredibly well respected and has been a gift to Tennessee for many years and will be greatly missed.”