By all outward appearances, I was just another woman navigating life after divorce. I had raised two daughters, moved into downtown Nashville, and worked at a retirement community. But one unexpected conversation changed the entire trajectory of my life—and ultimately launched a national movement.
That moment came when I met John Jay Hooker, a towering figure both physically and intellectually. A brilliant constitutional attorney and civil rights activist, he lived at the retirement community where I worked. One day, he pulled a small Constitution from his coat pocket and asked, “My dear, when was the last time you read your Constitution?”
It hit me like a bolt of lightning—I had never read it. And more than that, I had never even thought of it as mine.
That single question sparked a fire in me. I began asking others, and to my shock, most admitted they had never read the Constitution either. In my search for answers, I discovered that federal law mandates every school receiving federal funds must hold a Constitution Day program around September 17. Yet, many teachers and schools had no idea the requirement even existed.
That’s when the idea for the 917 Society was born.
I started small—driving Uber to fund the nonprofit paperwork and handing out Constitutions to passengers across Nashville. Some thought I was crazy; others mistook me for Dolly Parton. But I knew deep in my spirit that God was calling me to something bigger than myself.
When I brought the idea to my local congressman, he dismissed it coldly: “Nobody cares about the Constitution.” I walked home in tears, discouraged but not defeated. His words lit a fire in me. As a proud Southern woman, I did what we do best—I got mad, then I got busy.
Then came the health crisis. I began suffering sudden, terrifying episodes of paralysis. After months of tests, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Doctors urged radiation and medication, but I felt led to wait—and it turned out to be benign. God wasn’t finished with me yet.
In that season, he brought the right people, from prayer partners, donors, volunteers, community leaders to elected officials and legislators. They have all helped the 917 Society grow from a local outreach to a national effort that has now distributed several million pocket Constitutions and free online resources to eighth-grade students across America these past 10 years, equipping students—public, private, and homeschooled—with pocket Constitutions and classroom resources. Volunteers from AmVets to Moms for Liberty and hundreds more have joined the cause. We’ve launched contests, started a scholarship fund, and built a growing advisory board. We are excited to have been asked to join the America 250 Civics Coalition for this monumental year of celebrating our 250th Anniversary as a nation and will conduct our biggest distribution this year to honor the occasion.
This isn’t about me. It’s about We the People. If we want our Constitution to protect our God-given rights, we must teach the next generation to cherish it, defend it, and understand it. This is the mission of the 917 Society. Will you join us?
—Joni Bryan, Founder and Executive Director, 917 Society
www.917society.org
