The League of Women Voters of Washington this summer introduced a new series of workshops in response to the constitutional crisis the national organization has declared.  

Appropriately titled Democracy Power-Ups!, the workshops are designed to provide members with added tools for speaking up and working to protect democracy. 

“The challenges facing us as a nation are grave. We want to ensure that League members—as capable as they are—have the tools and skills to respond effectively,” said Karen Crowley, state League president.

LWVUS leadership on April 17 declared a constitutional crisis, stating “the foundational principles that have sustained our democracy—checks and balances, the rule of law, free and fair elections—are under direct and sustained threat.”

The state League's initial trainings include a series of four Media & News Literacy Educational Workshops and a separate workshop on writing letters to the editor.

The media literacy workshops are all online and feature interactive, skill-based exercises for participants, according to project manager Brenda Mann Harrison. “We are at a time when it is becoming harder to know the real facts,” she said. “This training will help participants discern what is true and what is false.”

Harrison noted that League members who designed and teach the media literacy workshops have more than 40 years of combined experience in media literacy education.

At present, the online workshops are open only to League members, but Crowley said the League may make them available to the public in time. “We very easily see these as trainings that libraries, community media and civic organizations may want to share with their audiences.”

In mid-September, the League will present a workshop on writing letters to the editor. Crowley noted League members in many communities already have a reputation for being frequent letter writers. “But with the spate of unconstitutional Executive Orders, the dispatch of National Guard members to our cities and the unceasing false attacks on the validity and accuracy of elections, we believe now more than ever we need to speak out and call for adherence to our basic rights.”

The letter-writing workshop is also interactive and will be led by two professional journalists. Crowley noted that letters to the editor remain one of the most read sections of newspapers, both print and online versions.