Giffords, Kelly Partner with Ken Burns to Celebrate Gettysburg Address

November 19, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In celebration of the 150^th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and retired combat veteran and astronaut Mark Kelly partnered with documentarian Ken Burns in a national effort to encourage Americans to read and recite President Lincoln’s famous speech.

“President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at a time when our country was deeply divided and at war with one another, but he never wavered in his hope for the future,” said former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. “We are proud to partner with Ken Burns to encourage all Americans to read the speech and to recite it themselves 150 years later.”

The project, Learn the Address, is an online platform aimed at education. It features videos of individuals reciting the Gettysburg Address and includes every living U.S. President, Members of Congress, Lincoln historians, actors, journalists and everyday Americans. Giffords and Kelly filmed their video in Southern Arizona with the help of a 22 local residents, including veterans, business owners and survivors of the January 8, 2011 shooting.

Participants of the video are as follows:

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords;
Retired combat veteran and astronaut Mark Kelly;
St. Michaels Parish Day School;
U.S. Army Major Tim Crowe, a former military aide to Congresswoman Giffords, and his daughter, Lola;
Douglas, AZ ranchers Warner and Wendy Glenn and their daughter Kelly Kimbro;
Pam Simon, a former staff member to Congresswoman Giffords and survivor of the January 8, 2011 shooting, and her husband Bruce Simon, a retired University of Arizona professor;
Pat Maisch; small business owner and a survivor of the January 8, 2011 shooting;
Rabbi Stephanie Aaron of Congregation Chaverim;
Tucson Police Officer Michelle Pickrom;
Tracy Culbert, a surgical ICU nurse at University Medical Center and one of Giffords’ nurses in the days following the January 8, 2011 shooting, and her daughters Macy and McKenna Culbert;
Valoree Alford, a delivery nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital;
Former Navy Seal and small business owner Nelson Miller; and
Former veterans advisor to Congresswoman Giffords, Senior Airman Brian Kolfage, a triple amputee and the most severely wounded airman in history.

All Americans are encouraged to create their own Gettysburg video. Go to http://www.learntheaddress.org/submit-video/ for more on uploading videos to the site.

The inspiration for the project is the Greenwood School, a small all boys institution in Vermont. Each year, the students are encouraged to practice, memorize, and recite the Gettysburg Address as a way to overcome learning differences. The Greenwood School is the focus of Burns’ next film, and it will air on PBS in the spring of 2014.

For more information, please visit www.learntheaddress.org.