Attorney General William Tong Speaks at SHU’s Constitution Day

Tong urges students to seek solutions to problems that compromise the nation’s constitutional values

Sacred Heart University observed Constitution Day this year with an address by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who asked his audience to ponder several issues plaguing society today, including misinformation and questionable politics.

“What do we do about misinformation and disinformation, specifically on social media platforms?” Tong asked. “What do we do about elected officials and politicians that tell lies, incite violence or invoke sedition?”

He assured students that he will try to answer those questions, but he said they have a responsibility as well to seek a solution to these and other problems that compromise the values expressed in the Constitution.

Tong graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, Brown University in Rhode Island and the University of Chicago Law School. He practiced law for 18 years and served as a state representative in the Connecticut General Assembly for 12 years.

As a child, he grew up working alongside his immigrant parents in the family’s Chinese restaurant, where he learned the importance of hard work and dedication. According to his website, he is the first Asian-American to be elected to a statewide office in Connecticut.

When Tong was asked to speak at Sacred Heart’s Constitution Day, he said, he immediately accepted, eager to discuss the issues he faces as the state’s attorney general. He touched upon such topics as a woman’s right to choose, elections, the use of absentee ballots and COVID-19 vaccines.

Gary Rose, chairman of SHU’s government department, moderated Sacred Heart’s Constitution Day event in the Frank & Marisa Martire Center for the Liberal Arts. Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787.

“The attorney general presented what I felt was an extremely substantive discussion regarding the Constitution of the United States,” Rose said. “I particularly appreciated that he focused on elections, as it is a hot-topic issue in the minds of many students. He effectively addressed the Constitution in a way the students would find intriguing, particularly in regard to their own lives.”

Tong said he was pleased to share his ideas at SHU. “I am so impressed and relieved, frankly, that students at Sacred Heart are so engaged in the discussion of learning about the importance of our Constitution and how we can best advance the values and principles of the Constitution,” he said.