Declaration of Civic Stewardship

“Welcome to the Queendom: A Declaration of Civic Stewardship and Community Restoration”

Welcome to the Queendom

Dear Queens of the Linked Arms Communities,

Welcome to the Queendom—a sacred circle of women who build, hold, protect, and restore community with wisdom, courage, and grace.

I write to you today grounded in honor for who you are and reverence for the role you carry. A Queen is not defined by a crown, but by responsibility. Queens stabilize homes. Queens carry memory. Queens steward truth across generations. Queens understand that power is not domination—it is care, vision, and accountability.

I often reflect on my father, born in 1933, and the education he received—an education rooted in civics, responsibility, and shared belonging. He was taught to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution, not as a performance, but as a declaration of duty.

“We the People…”

That phrase centered community, responsibility, and collective power. It reminded people that democracy lives not in buildings, but in households, neighborhoods, and relationships.

Over time, civics was slowly removed from schools—pushed aside by systems that valued what could be tested over what could be lived. Teaching how power works, how systems are challenged, how communities hold institutions accountable became uncomfortable. History was sanitized. Context was stripped away. And a shared civic language was lost.

Queens—this loss did not happen without consequence.

When civics faded, communities were left to navigate systems without maps. Families were expected to comply without understanding. Participation became symbolic instead of powerful. And too often, women—especially Black, Brown, immigrant, and Indigenous women—were left to stabilize homes and communities without recognition or support.

Yet here is the truth the systems missed:

Queens never stopped teaching civics.

You taught it in kitchens and living rooms.

You taught it in child care homes and community circles.

You taught it through mutual aid, advocacy, and protection.

You taught it by showing up—again and again.

Linked Arms exists because Queens understand that community is infrastructure. Our work as community builders and home stabilizers is civic work. When we support families, protect providers, advocate for dignity, and hold space for healing, we are restoring what formal systems abandoned.

Queens know that power is relational.

Queens know that stability begins at home.

Queens know that children learn democracy first through how they are treated.

This is the work of the Queendom.

Our crowns are worn in service. Our thrones are community tables. Our legacy is not domination—but restoration.

As Queens of the Linked Arms Communities, we are rebuilding shared language, shared responsibility, and shared power—rooted in culture, truth, and collective care. We are not waiting for permission. We are reclaiming inheritance.

Welcome to the Queendom.

Welcome to your rightful place as builders of futures and keepers of community.

In Grace and Knowledge,

Share or link directly to the official archived version preserved by the National Archives:

👉 https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript