By Joana Karoshi | Staff Writer
The Baylor community met at the SUB Bowl Friday to reconnect with a 250-year-old document and recall what values America was built on.
Baylor’s history and political science departments hosted a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, bringing together administrators, faculty, staff and students to mark the anniversary.
The event featured a live reading of the 1776 document with big names at Baylor, including President Dr. Linda Livingstone, Vice President for Student Life Dr. Sharra Hynes and football head coach Dave Aranda. The event was part of a broader campus initiative to reflect on American founding principles through public engagement.
Livingstone said the Declaration remains relevant 250 years later for how it frames national values and responsibility.
“It’s the values that are expressed in it and the concerns that are expressed that we should continue to pay attention to and think about, not just in terms of the founding of our country, but the way we function as a country today,” Livingstone said.
She also emphasized the importance of historical reflection for students, pointing to both achievements and shortcomings in U.S. history.
“We really hope that our students understand its history and all the good that our country has done, but also the darker parts of our history, and what we can learn from that,” Livingstone said.
Aranda said he saw the document as a lasting statement of conviction.
“I think it’s something that we’ve fought for before and will always fight for,” Aranda said. “A few words make a big statement.”
He added that revisiting its historical context is essential for understanding its impact.
“You put yourself back in that time, I think it’s a good exercise for everyone,” Aranda said.
The event was organized by Dr. Julie Sweet, professor of history and director of military studies, who said the reading was intended to mark the university’s role in the national anniversary while building campus unity.
“We could not let this moment go by without some sort of major event,” Sweet said. “This gave us the opportunity to bring the campus together for one important, unifying, historic moment.”
Sweet said organizers aimed to replicate how the Declaration was originally shared publicly in 1776.
“This was a way for us to almost reenact that moment for our students,” she said, noting that the outdoor setting mirrored historical public readings.
Kevin Davis, Veteran Educational and Transition Services program manager working with military-connected students, participated alongside student veterans. He said the format offered a different kind of historical engagement than a classroom would have.
“Here, you get to take on the role of what it would have been like to be a citizen and hear these words first drafted,” Davis said. “It had a profound impact.”
Students like Wake Forest, N.C., junior Isaac Bostic said the event helped contextualize the country’s founding in a communal setting. For Bostic, the reading helped reconnect him with the document’s meaning.
“It’s a really good symbol of the American Revolution and the reason why we’re not under imperial rule today,” Bostic said.
Amarillo senior Katie Curley is a history major, and she said she plans to pursue graduate study focused on the American Revolution.
“I love seeing public history in action,” she said. “It brings people together who feel strongly about America and independence.”
Organizers said the reading is part of Baylor’s broader effort to mark America’s 250th anniversary through campus-wide programming that encourages civic reflection and historical understanding.
