Video
Learn more about the project
The Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship released its report in June 2020. This video shares more about the work of the broad, bipartisan, diverse commission which was cochaired by Danielle Allen, Stephen Heintz, and Eric Liu and spent two years engaging with communities all over the U.S. to explore how best to respond to the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in our political and civic life. Learn about the people and project:
The Commission held nearly 50 listening sessions. Participants included municipal staff and elected officials; conservative and liberal activists; independent voters; community leaders and organizers; scholars; teachers and administrators (K–12, college and university); college students; retirees; small business owners; underprivileged youth; nonvoters; rural, urban, and suburban residents; faith leaders and seminary students; African Americans, whites, Latinx, and Asian Americans; immigrants; refugees from Somalia, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Afghanistan; philanthropists; formerly incarcerated citizens and justice reform activists; and members of the military.
This video features the following individuals who participated in the Academy listening sessions:
- Amanda Barker, Nebraska
- Kim Covington, Arizona
- Luis Farias, California
- Vanessa Grossl, Kentucky
- Chatham Kitz, Arizona
- Chris Ko, Massachusetts
- Julio Medina, New York
- Victor Palomino, Kentucky
- Cameron Patterson, Virginia
- Amy Wisehart, Maine
In February 2020, the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship brought together over 70 participants from nearly all of its almost 50 listening sessions, as well as Commission members, civic leaders and philanthropists, to hear from one another and share their work through a series of panels, breakout sessions, and presentations.
The day began with an opening performance by Amanda Gorman, the Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the United States of America, who is featured in the Our Common Purpose Video. She provided context for, and then read, her poem "Believer's Hymn of the Republic."