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Reinventing Democracy: How Hometowns Are Strengthening America

When looking at American politics at the national level, it is easy to become cynical about the future of our democracy. High levels of polarization persist, and the headlines all too often are dominated by stories of government dysfunction.
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Online

Yuval Levin (American Enterprise Institute) was a member of the Academy’s bipartisan commission that produced the Our Common Purpose report, with 31 recommendations for strengthening American democracy. He also coauthored an Academy paper on The Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives, which expands on one of those recommendations. As shared by the Academy on Twitter, Levin described that proposal in his New York Times Opinion piece, “Some Good Can Come Out of the Kevin McCarthy Fiasco.”
Academy Article
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February 10, 2023

Discussing Democracy and Civic Renewal in Arizona: Flinn Foundation Hosts

At events in Phoenix hosted by local supporters of civic work, there were opportunities for the leaders of the Our Common Purpose project to share progress on recommendations in the report and for discussions that showcased local initiatives strengthening democracy in Arizona.
Academy Article
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December 19, 2022

Academy Hosts Conference on Reinventing Democracy at the Local Level

The conference on local initiatives strengthening democracy convened mayors, city councilors, county executives, and other local government officials - along with scholars and experts – to engage on topics including ranked choice voting in local elections, civic learning and engagement, clean elections programs, mechanisms to expand citizen participation, investment in healthy civic infrastructure, and more.
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Academy Article
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Democracy was a Big Winner in the Midterms

Across the country, state and local referenda gave voters a chance to enact the recommendations in Our Common Purpose. Almost everywhere, they did just that, supporting ballot measures to expand ranked-choice voting, increase access to early voting, and improve transparency around election funding.
In the News
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KET Interview with Renee Shaw

On October 18, Stephen Heintz, President and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) and one of three cochairs of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, and Dr. Carolyn Lukensmeyer, a member of the Commission, sat down with Renee Shaw for the KET program Connections to talk about the Commission's bipartisan report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century.
Academy Article
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October 27, 2022

Statement Issued in Advance of Midterm Elections

The cochairs of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship issued a statement in advance of the midterm elections - identifying threats to free, fair, and participatory elections and ways to address them.
In the News
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October 25, 2022

See how your votes aren’t equal

A CNN column about voting and equality features Academy recommendations for strengthening democracy - specifically to enlarge the House of Representatives - in the section titled "How to make the US more democratic"
Source:
CNN
In the News
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October 13, 2022

It shouldn’t matter so much whether Elon Musk buys Twitter

Commentary in the Berkshire Eagle by Binyamin Appelbaum, a member of the New York Times's editorial board, considers ways to address the power possessed by the owners of social media sites. Options presented include a recommendation for a public-interest mandate from the Academy's Our Common Purpose report.
Source:
New York Times
In the News
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How social media has undermined our constitutional architecture

Danielle Allen writes about how Facebook is weakening our democratic institutions and what can be done to rebuild them. For solutions, she draws on recommendations in the Our Common Purpose report issued by the Academy Commission she cochaired.
Source:
The Washington Post
In the News
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Connecting Communities: Libraries as Invisible Infrastructure

Public libraries and their grounded, portable and invisible civic infrastructure give us another, better way to relate to ourselves and to each other — not only as consumers, but as citizens.
Source:
NLC - National League of Cities
Academy Article
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A Convening on the Power of Civic Infrastructure: A Community Solution with National Potential

The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands partnered with the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in May 2022 to host Strengthening American Democracy through Civic Investment, a historic effort to bring attention to the chronic underinvestment in the civic health of our nation’s communities and to mobilize resources to support the development of local civic infrastructure.
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New Academy Report Makes the Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives

The framers of the U.S. Constitution intended the House of Representatives to be “the People’s House.” More so than any other branch of the federal government, congresspeople are meant to have a close connection with the public they serve. For decades, the House grew as the nation grew, which allowed congressional districts to remain relatively small. Then, in 1929, Congress capped the size of the House at 435 seats. Since then, districts have massively expanded, and the number of constituents represented by each congressperson has exploded from roughly 35,000 in 1790 to over 760,000 today.
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Reckoning with Organizational History

Over the last few years, organizations across the United States – corporations, universities, and nonprofits like the American Academy – have begun to reflect on their ties to slavery, Native genocide, and other troubling elements of American history. The Academy’s virtual event on “Reckoning with Organizational History” explored why historical self-examination matters and what can be gained from these studies.
Press Release
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President Jimmy Carter Joins Majority of Americans in Supporting a Proposed U.S. Constitutional Amendment to Address Election Spending

President Jimmy Carter and Republican former Senators Olympia Snowe (ME) and Alan Simpson (WY) joined a majority of Americans across the political spectrum to support a Constitutional Amendment - as proposed in the Academy's Our Common Purpose report - addressing the explosive rise in election spending and the civic distrust and division it generates. 
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Voices of the Future and a Youth Agenda for American Democracy

Ahead of the White House’s December 2021 Summit for Democracy and as part of its ongoing efforts to advance the recommendations in Our Common Purpose, the Academy organized two initiatives last fall aimed at young people: a national polling project and a summit of young leaders, who were brought together for their expertise, vision, and commitment to making progress on critical issues in their communities.
In the News
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Should we expand the House of Representatives? The Founders thought so

The crafters of the Constitution expected the size of the House to grow as the U.S. population increased. Citing the American Academy report on “The Case for Expanding the House of Representatives,” Kevin Kosar calls for Capitol Hill to consider the proposition.
Source:
The Hill
More than two dozen countries make voting a civic duty akin to jury duty. CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY
In the News
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How to boost voter turnout to nearly 100 percent

Saving democracy might require mandatory voting — and Massachusetts can lead the way. Miles Rapoport, of the Academy's Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, and Alex Keyssar make the case for universal voting.
Source:
The Boston Globe
In the News
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Philanthropy Can Help Build a Thriving Democracy by Building Up Programs and Places That Fuel Civic Involvement

Communities with strong civic infrastructure engender greater civic engagement and a sense of belonging. Stephen Heintz, cochair of the American Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, argues that philanthropy should lead in funding projects across the country that would connect people to their neighbors, communities, and government institutions.
Source:
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Press Release
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A Call to Strengthen Democracy by Enlarging the House of Representatives

A publication, The Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives, proposes adding 150 seats to the House of Representatives, followed by regular expansion. Enlarging the House will help restore the connection between the people and “the people’s house” as envisioned by the nation’s founders.
Academy Article
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Developing a Youth Agenda for American Democracy

The American Academy of Arts & Sciences and Washington University in St. Louis convened more than 50 community leaders, social entrepreneurs, and professionals - between 18 and 29 years old - from across the political spectrum. The participants were united by a commitment to developing a youth agenda for American democracy.
In the News
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Political Polarization, Civility, and Deliberative Democracy: A Conversation with Carolyn Lukensmeyer

Carolyn Lukensmeyer – an expert in deliberative democracy and a member of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship – describes the historical development of hyper-partisanship in the U.S., the opportunities that innovative political engagement offers, and suggests ways of healing the divides in our country in order to chart a collective path forward.
Source:
Then & Now (podcast)
In the News
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Advice to Leaders on Strengthening Civic Culture & Trust in Government

This summer, the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences held panel discussions on Public Governance and Civic Engagement. From these conversations emerged clear recommendations for policymakers to build a stronger civic culture and increase trust in government.
Source:
Federalism.US
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Empathy and Our Future

While many discussions in America are now focused on accountability versus unity, a concept that belongs in conversations about how America can recover from a divisive election, devastating pandemic, and long history of racial injustice is empathy. At a virtual Stated Meeting, Sherry Turkle (MIT) and Eric Liu (Citizen University) joined Academy President David Oxtoby in a conversation about what empathy looks like in an increasingly digital world, the search for authentic connections at a time of isolation and disunion, and the role authentic connection can play in repairing our civic culture.
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A Conversation with Architect Jeanne Gang

Jeanne Gang, founding principal and partner of Studio Gang, is known for her forward-looking approach to design. She creates spaces that connect people with each other, their communities, and the environment. Her projects range from cultural centers to public projects that connect citizens with ecology to high-rise towers that foster community. At a virtual Stated Meeting, Jeanne Gang discussed how the design of physical spaces supports social, civic, and democratic infrastructure – a recommendation offered in Our Common Purpose, the final report of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship.
In the News
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Museums Can Renew America Through the Semiquincentennial

The 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding is approaching, and the opportunities are huge for museums to reframe history and engage their communities more deeply.
Source:
American Alliance of Museums
President Barack Obama's second inaugural address (2013)
In the News
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Joint Series on Public Governance and Civic Engagement

NAPA and the American Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship led a four-part series on public governance and civic engagement, covering topics such as civic culture, media, and trust in government.
Source:
National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA)
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Our Common Purpose in Communities Across the Country

Since the release in June 2020 of Our Common Purpose: Re­inventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, the final report of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizen­ship, there have been a number of surprising and inspiring stories about the impact the report has had. From giving the report away as Valentine’s Day presents to ordering a copy for everyone in the city government of Boise, Idaho, Our Common Purpose has been shared, read, downloaded, viewed, and discussed around the country.
In the News
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Cochairs Call for Expansion of U.S. ‘Civic Infrastructure’

Danielle S. Allen and Stephen B. Heintz, cochairs of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, presented strategies to strengthen civic engagement at a virtual panel co-hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School.
Source:
The Harvard Crimson
In the News
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Danielle Allen on achieving democracy’s ideals

Danielle Allen is a leader of two large-scale efforts to make democracy truly inclusive and reimagine the way we teach new generations of democratic citizens. She joined the Democracy Works podcast to discuss both initiatives, including the Academy’s report, “Our Common Purpose,” and how to build coalitions for effective change.
Source:
Democracy Works (podcast)
AmeriCorps volunteers plant shrubs in a vacant lot
In the News
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AmeriCorps service nurtures professional development, civic duty

Expanding national service to more young people is one tangible investment we can make in strengthening our republic and the ties that bind us together as a people. This op-ed looks at one of the recommendations from the Our Common Purpose report: to create a universal expectation of national service.
Source:
The Baltimore Sun
Bulletin
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Online

The inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate in the United States, Amanda Gorman, impressed the country and the world when she read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration of President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Thousands of people who went online to learn more about her discovered a presentation and reading at the Academy on February 7, 2020.
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Telling our Regional Story: The Narratives that Unite and Divide in North Carolina

A challenge facing the United States is how to combine the good and bad of our history into shared narratives. Telling Our Nation’s Story, one of the recommendations of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, calls for communities to work toward a common narrative by engaging in honest conversations about the past in order to reckon with what divides us while uncovering what unites us. Participants in this virtual program brought a regional approach to a conversation across the Research Triangle.
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Does Meritocracy Destroy the Common Good?

In "The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?" Michael J. Sandel argues that the divide between winners and losers has poisoned our politics and pulled us apart. The problem, he contends, is not only that we have failed to live up to the meritocratic ideals we profess, but that a meritocratic society is a flawed aspiration. It produces hubris among the successful and humiliation among those left behind. In the first virtual Stated Meeting in the history of the Academy, Michael J. Sandel joined T. J. Jackson Lears and Anna Deavere Smith in a conversation about his new book and the destructive consequences of linking socioeconomic status with personal worth.
In the News
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The Ambitious Plan To Save Democracy

In this Moderate Party podcast, host Hillari speaks with Carolyn Lukensmeyer, member of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, about how to save democracy and what must be done to make it happen.
Source:
Moderate Party (podcast)
In the News
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No More Normal: Our Common Purpose

National Public Radio affiliate KUNM gathered a panel of citizens to discuss and debate the recommendations in Our Common Purpose, the final report of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship.
Source:
KUNM
A person holds a phone showing the Instagram app icon. | Jeff Chiu/AP
In the News
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To Thrive, Our Democracy Needs Digital Public Infrastructure

It’s time to start building online versions of the libraries, parks and other public spaces that make societies and democracies work, write Eli Pariser and Danielle Allen, cochair of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship.
Source:
Politico
A poll worker and voter wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during a U.S. primary election.
Academy Article
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Message from Our Common Purpose Cochairs Celebrating Election Workers

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic crisis, and a political climate dominated by fear, resentment, and division, the cochairs of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship find reason to be optimistic about America’s faith in democracy: the civic heroism of our 2020 election workers.
In the News
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Pulling Our Politics Back from the Brink

What would it take to pull American politics out of the fire and make Americans feel, in any real sense, that we are all in this together? Evan Osnos, in The New Yorker, cites the recommendations in Our Common Purpose as a possible path forward.
Source:
The New Yorker
In the News
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Democratic Citizenship at the Chicago Humanities Festival

As part of the Chicago Humanities Festival, members of the Academy's Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship Eric Liu, Hahrie Han, and Pete Peterson participated in a panel on the future of democracy.
Source:
Chicago Humanities Festival
In the News
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Heintz Joins Panel on Strengthening U.S. Democracy

Stephen Heintz, Co-chair of the American Academy's Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, participates in a panel on Strengthening U.S. Democracy hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations.
Source:
Council on Foreign Relations
In the News
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Make the Supreme Court Less Political. Put Term Limits on Justices.

Authors Stephen B. Heintz and Pete Peterson, coming from different sides of the political aisle, agree that term limits for Supreme Court Justices is a way to depoliticize the process and strengthen faith in democratic institutions.
Source:
Real Clear Policy
In the News
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OCT 2020

America’s Plastic Hour Is Upon Us

George Packer, in The Atlantic, considers whether America might now repair our broken democracy by entering an era of major reform - including the Academy's recommendations in Our Common Purpose.
Source:
The Atlantic
In the News
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Amanpour and Company features Our Common Purpose

Across the aisle from one another, but committed to strengthening democracy together, Eric Liu and Pete Peterson discuss the importance of finding shared ways to move with Michel Martin on Amanpour and Company.
Source:
Amanpour and Company
In the News
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A Playbook for Regaining Our Common Purpose

The Academy's report on strengthening democracy for 21st century America can be used as a playbook for "how we might regain our footing as citizens to renew the world’s oldest democracy," writes Daniel Stid.
Source:
The Art of Association
In the News
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The justices themselves can turn down the heat — by creating their own term limits

In this Washington Post column, Danielle Allen - who cochaired the Academy's Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship - proposes that Supreme Court justices "take it upon themselves" to establish term limits, which is a modified approach to a recommendation in the Our Common Purpose report.
Source:
The Washington Post
In the News
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Revitalizing Democracy During COVID-19 and Beyond

Three members of the Academy's Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship - Antonia Hernandez, Wallace Jefferson, and Eric Liu - joined the AMA Journal of Ethics for a discussion on how to revitalize democracy during the pandemic and beyond.
Source:
AMA Journal of Ethics
Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century
Bulletin
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Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century

On June 11, 2020, the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship celebrated the release of its final report: Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century. Nearly 1,200 people viewed the launch event, which featured Commission Chairs Danielle Allen (Harvard University), Stephen Heintz (Rockefeller Brothers Fund), and Eric Liu (Citizen University); Academy President David Oxtoby; as well as Commission members Judy Woodruff (PBS NewsHour) and David Brooks (The New York Times).
In the News
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Our Towns: Three Guides to the Next America

Academy member James Fallows includes Our Common Purpose as one of three developments that shed light on how the parts of America that still work can be applied to the parts that need help most.
Source:
The Atlantic
In the News
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WRONG WAY?

Residents of Alabama are asked “Is America headed in the right or wrong direction?” and reporter Tim Lockette wonders if the Academy’s recommendations for reinventing democracy could be a way forward.
Source:
Anniston Star (Alabama)
In the News
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Commentary: Fixing Democracy

Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies, writes about what democracy looks like in rural America - “a mess” - and how to fix it with ideas from the report he worked on as a member of the Academy's project on American democracy.
Source:
Daily Yonder
In the News
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For Philanthropy to Achieve Its Goals, Democracy Must Work

Stephen Heintz, Cochair of the Academy's Commission on Democratic Citizenship, calls for greater philanthropic support for work that strengthens democracy in American democracy. He makes the case that a healthy, functional government advances every other investment.
Source:
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
In the News
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Tech companies are finally being shamed into action

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin writes about increasing concern about online platforms that allow hate speech and engender extremism. She notes that corporate boycotts are a sign of dissatisfaction and points to the Academy's work for meaningful solutions.
Source:
The Washington Post
In the News
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Why Coronavirus Is an ‘Existential Crisis’ for American Democracy

The coronavirus pandemic is nothing less than an “existential crisis” that will reshape American society, says Danielle Allen, cochair of Academy Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. What needs to happen for America’s civic life to be reborn?
Source:
Politico
In the News
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Rebuilding Trust in American Democracy

Danielle Allen featured on BYU Radio about what she learned cochairing the Academy's bipartisan Commission on democratic citizenship and how recommended reforms can help Americans increase trust in one another and their institutions.
Source:
BYU Radio
In the News
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NPR On Point: Reimagining Democracy for the 21st Century

In this interview with Danielle Allen, NPR's On Point focuses on the Academy's new bipartisan recommendations for reimagining American democracy for the 21st century: What are the signs democracy needs fixing? How participatory was the process? Who was consulted in the process? Where do we go from here?
Source:
On Point, National Public Radio
In the News
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Etats-Unis : du « besoin urgent » de réinvention

A United States correspondent for Le Monde provides readers in France with some context for the Academy's proposals for reinventing American democracy and finds Our Common Purpose noteworthy.
Source:
Le Monde
In the News
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Democracy, Citizenship, and Community

To kick off the new "Democracy, Citizenship and Community" series of VISION, host Sam Gill spoke with Stephen Heintz and Antonia Hernandez, all members of the Academy's Commission on the practice of Democratic Citizenship.
Source:
VISION | Knight Foundation
In the News
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The Work of Democracy Starts Right Here

Bert Emerson, a participant in a listening session in Spokane, wrote a guest column about the nation's greatest challenges and what gives him hope that Americans have the will to fix our democracy.
Source:
The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)
In the News
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Amid inequality and polarization, how can we strengthen American democracy?

PBS NewsHour reports on the Academy's bipartisan commission on the state of American democracy and its report detailing 31 recommendations for how to strengthen it. Judy Woodruff introduces the report and discusses it with Danielle Allen and Stephen Heintz.
Source:
PBS NewsHour
In the News
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We seek reforms to policing. But something even deeper needs repair.

Danielle Allen, who cochairs the Academy's bipartisan Commission on democratic citizenship, writes "We need a new social compact." In this column, she writes about why it's time and what it might include - with examples drawn from the Commission's report Our Common Purpose.
Source:
The Washington Post
In the News
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America’s neck is broken. We can survive, but we have to act.

Watching "peaceful protests sweep across the land even amidst a plague" causes Eric Liu, cochair of the Academy's Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, to note the strength of spirit and movement he sees even when the nation's neck is broken.
Source:
The Washington Post
Bulletin
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21st Century Democracy in Practice

In early February, the Academy welcomed Americans from around the nation for a day-long convening on the practice of democratic citizenship. The event was a culmination of the extensive grassroots outreach and listening sessions that have been a hallmark of the work of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship.
Academy Article
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Civic Engagement During COVID-19: How Commission Members are Making a Difference

For the past two years, members of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship have engaged in research, round tables, and discussions about strengthening American democracy in the 21st century. Now, as the impact of COVID-19 surges through every aspect of American society, Commission members are applying their expertise in public policy and civic and political engagement to meet and understand critical challenges at the local and national levels.
In the News
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Get the Government You Want By Getting Involved

Luis Farias, a participant at the American Academy's Convening on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, reflects on the discussions there and how they can be applied to the Latino community in the U.S.
Source:
‘Llero
In the News
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What Makes a True Patriot

“True patriotism doesn’t require that we all join the military,” says Eric Liu, cochair of Academy Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. “It does require us all to show up more, contribute more, participate more, be more useful to more people.”
Source:
CBS News
Bulletin
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How to Make Citizens

Eric Liu, cochair of the Academy's Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, speaks about how to prepare citizens in a democracy.
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Video of the Launch Event
The online launch featured an introduction from Academy President David Oxtoby, a conversation with Cochairs Danielle Allen, Stephen Heintz, and Eric Liu moderated by Judy Woodruff, and remarks from David Brooks.
Watch the launch event

Featured Events
May 17, 2022

Bridging Divides in America

Featuring Andy Barr, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Derek Kilmer, Farah Pandith, Laurie L. Patton, Eric P. Liu, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
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Mar 10, 2021

Empathy and Our Future

Featuring Eric P. Liu, Sherry Turkle, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
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