Trust for Civic Infrastructure Announced at White House Summit
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On September 15th, President Biden hosted community leaders from across America at the White House for the United We Stand Summit. Stephen Heintz (Rockefeller Brothers Fund) and Eric Liu (Citizens University), co-chairs of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, were among those in attendance. The White House announced a historic package of new actions the federal government, civic, faith, philanthropic, and business leaders will take to address hate-fueled violence and advance national unity.
One of the initiatives announced was a Trust for Civic Infrastructure, which will support community-led efforts to strengthen and expand the places, programs, people, and information that bolster civic capacity and create opportunities for communities to build common ground and solve problems together. Recommendation 4.1 of Our Common Purpose calls for the establishment of a Trust for Civic Infrastructure, and the Academy, in collaboration with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, has continued to champion this recommendation and advance its implementation.
Read more about the initiatives announced at the Summit here. Read President Biden’s full remarks at the Summit here.
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Reinventing Democracy: How Hometowns Are Strengthening America
On December 7-9, 2022, the Academy will host a special event to bring together mayors, city councilors, select board members, city and town managers, and other local government officials from across the country for a three-day virtual symposium to learn about pragmatic approaches to reforms like ranked-choice voting, participatory governance, clean elections laws, civic education, and more. The event will feature keynote speaker, Judy Woodruff of PBS News, as well as panels of subject-matter experts and elected leaders with practical experience working on these initiatives. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the inspiring work being done by Our Common Purpose champion organizations across the country and build connections with other civic leaders working to reinvent American democracy from the ground up. For more information about this event, please email [email protected].
DATE: December 7-9, 2022 from 11:30AM – 4:00 PM EST | Register here
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Register Now: Our Civics - Safeguarding Our Democracy
This daylong event on the vital role of civic education for American democracy will be presented by More Perfect on October 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, CA.
DATE: October 27, 2022 | Register here
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Washington Post Endorses SCOTUS Term Limits
September 17 – The Washington Post Editorial Board called on Congress to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices. Recommendation 1.8 in Our Common Purpose calls for eighteen-year terms for Supreme Court justices, and in July, the Academy launched a working group to elaborate on this recommendation. The call from the Post comes a few weeks after Reuters published an article highlighting Judge Diane Wood’s support for limited Supreme Court terms. Judge Wood serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and is a member of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship.
Read the op-ed here.
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NPR: Allen Argues Social Media has Undermined our Constitutional Democracy
September 2 – Danielle Allen, co-chair of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, joined KCRW’s Left, Right & Center podcast. Allen expanded on her recent op-ed, in which she argues that Facebook and other social media platforms contribute to a crisis of representation in America.
Listen to the full episode here.
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CNN: Liu is hopeful about American Democracy
August 28 – CNN profiled Eric Liu, co-chair of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship and CEO and co-founder of Citizen University. The profile highlights Liu’s optimism in an age of widespread cynicism about the state of American democracy: “Where some see chaos, Liu sees vitality. He says engaged citizens get angry; apathetic and cynical citizens don’t make noise.”
Read CNN’s full profile of Liu here.
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Alaska Uses RCV to Fill House Seat
On August 16, Alaska held a special election to fill the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was the first time Alaska used ranked-choice voting (RCV) in an election, and the winner, Democrat Mary Peltola, is the first woman and Alaska Native elected to represent the state in the House. Following the election, 85% of Alaskans reported RCV to be “simple”, and 62% said they support the new system. The second recommendation of the Our Common Purpose report calls for introducing ranked-choice voting in presidential, congressional, and state elections. As of July 2022, over 11 million voters live in a state, county, or city with RCV for at least some elections, according to FairVote, an advocacy organization and Our Common Purpose Champion.
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National Humanities Conference Equitable Access Grants Available Now
The Federation of State Humanities Councils and the National Humanities Alliance announced a new grants program to open access more fully to the 2022 National Humanities Conference, which will be held November 10-13 in Los Angeles, CA. Grants of up to $1,895 will reimburse up to 15 attendees for conference registration, travel, and lodging expenses. Panels will include conversations about creating a cultural expectation of national service (OCP Rec 6.1) and how we tell our nation’s story (OCP Rec 6.2).
For additional information and instructions on how to apply, click here.
Applications are due by September 30, 2022.
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Meeting of America - Kentucky Launch
Meeting of America, a new endeavor launched by a group of businesses, faith communities, universities, philanthropists, and civic organizations to foster bridge-building conversations with fellow Americans, is hosting its first meeting in Kentucky this fall. Meeting of America anticipates opening virtual doors to all Americans next year.
This 2-minute video provides more information about Meeting of America. You can pre-register for the first meeting in Kentucky here.
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ActiVote Launches "Democracy is a Design Challenge"
ActiVote launched “Democracy is a Design Challenge,” an interactive digital exercise that links the questions the nation’s founders were asking themselves with the challenges we face today. The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) and Revolutionary Spaces are collaborating with ActiVote, to provide content for self-reflection or for in-person discussions. Complete the digital exercise here.
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