Our Common Purpose Champions Convene at the Academy

On December 12th and 13th, the American Academy brought together a diverse group of 100 individuals working to strengthen democracy at the 2024 Our Common Purpose Champions Convening. The event included panel discussions about planning for the nation’s 250th anniversary, the impact of the 2024 election, and working with state and federal policymakers. Participants had the opportunity to connect with each other, take stock of the progress made to date, and plan for the future. The OCP Champions network is comprised of organizations that have pledged their support to "improve the resilience of our republic, strengthen our nation’s common purpose, and restore trust in one another and our institutions." 

Academy’s Commission on Reimagining Our Economy Wraps Up  

December marked the formal conclusion of the Academy’s Commission on Reimagining Our Economy (CORE). Inspired by the Our Common Purpose project, this Commission sought to redirect national focus from how the economy is doing toward how Americans are doing. CORE released a final report, Advancing a People-First Economy, with fifteen policy recommendations; the CORE Score, an online data-dashboard of American wellbeing; and Faces of America: Getting By in Our Economy, a photojournal of median-income Americans. A healthy democracy relies on a healthy economy, and vice versa, and the Academy's work on economic isssues will continue even as the CORE Commission itself concludes. If you have questions or would like to learn about the Academy’s ongoing efforts related to economic issues, contact [email protected].  

In The News

America’s Civic Culture is Battered but not Broken.

An op-ed from Benjamin Klutsey in The Hill relies on the Academy’s new report, Habits of Heart and Mind, to make the case for strengthening America’s “civic culture,” or the “shared norms, values, narratives, habits, and rituals that guide how we live, work, and govern as a society.”  

Americans are Open to Changing Congressional Elections.  

New research released by the Academy and UMass Lowell’s Center for Public Opinion finds that a majority of Americans are open to changing how members of Congress are elected. In a survey of 3,200 likely voters conducted before the 2024 election, 53% of respondents said the way members of Congress are elected should change, compared to 47% who said the system should remain the same. The polling is part of a new Academy initiative looking at electoral system design.  

How to Fix America’s Two-Party Problem. 

A major opinion feature by Jesse Wegman and Lee Drutman in The New York Times highlights bold ideas to make Congress better, including increasing the number of seats in the House of Representatives. The piece cites the Academy report, The Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives.  

Democratic Decline vs. Civic Renewal. 

In his blog, The Art of Association, Daniel Stid cites Habits of Heart and Mind and argues that any renewal of our civic culture will bubble up from local communities. 

What America Needs is Some Big Citizenship. 

In a new Washington Post op-ed, More Perfect’s John M. Bridgeland and Alan Khazei call for expanding opportunities for civilian national service ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. 

Get Involved

Join Partners in Democracy. 

OCP Champion Partners in Democracy is hiring for multiple organizing and communications roles. 

Join The Village Square for an Evening with Dr. Ted Johnson. 

OCP Champion The Village Square is hosting a virtual event with Contributing Washington Post opinion writer Dr. Ted Johnson about this new book, If We Are Brave: Essays of Black Americana. 

DATE: January 30, 2025 | Register Here 

Join 250 Con.

The American Association for State and Local History invites you to 250 Con, a galvanizing event to learn about national and state planning opportunities, identify actionable ways to participate, and join peers in generating enthusiasm for America’s 250th anniversary. 

DATE: February 27-28, 2025 | Register Here 

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