DemocracySpace.org

What will we do differently?

Many who voted in the election last week felt the need for change. And while many candidates may not have used “change” as their campaign mantra, they all talked of the need for some type of change.

Regardless of who we voted for, we all have a president-elect who based his campaign on the belief that everyone’s voice mattered. He elicited the assistance of people who had never volunteered in a campaign before. On barakobama.com there was a section where anybody could make suggestions on Obama’s policy platforms, and this continues on his transition web-site, change.gov, in the “Of the People, By the People” section of any policy issue, and at the Office of Urban Policy Feedback Forum.

The people who volunteered for, donated to, and voted for Obama, believe that, as a president, he will listen to them and help all Americans work together to deal with some of the difficulties we face as a nation. Jonathan Wolfe, in his post titled Remembering the "We" in Yes We Can at Social Citizens Blog, points out that in Obama's acceptance speech, “[H]e stressed that the real accomplishment isn’t his being elected to office, but the people’s ability to make it happen. And it’s this collective ability and power that can effect real change. It’s truly ‘we’ the people who have shown time and again what we are capable of.” To make this change, 'we' can work to tear down the political walls that we have allowed to divide us, and agree to work together despite our differences. Peter Levine points out in a post titled a moment for inclusion, reflections on the election, that "it's important to remember that many people did not vote for him, and some certainly had principled reasons not to." Those who voted for and celebrate Obama's victory must remember that he emphasized that he will be the president even of those who did not vote for him.  The only way 'we' can work on 'fixing' our problems, is by realizing that we all want the same thing: a society that exemplifies the ideas of freedom and justice for all.

This makes me wonder: What is the role of a president? Is the president supposed to “fix” everything, or is a president supposed to encourage us in times of difficulty to work for a better world? Obama’s message seems to be that the government plays a role in working through the many problems we face as a nation, but that we all have a stake and a role in “fixing” our country.

Peter Levine emphasizes this idea on his blog. He points out that Obama said in one speech, “…the most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen,” an idea he attributes to Justice Louis Brandeis. Because we are a democracy, the credit for improving the situation in which we now find ourselves will belong to every citizen if we take this idea to heart.

Lawrence Downs, in his article titled Obama’s Call to Change: What is Everyone Waiting For? at the New York Times, highlights a quote from Obama’s acceptance speech that speaks to this idea. “I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.” Obama has emphasized the need for service and a commitment to making possible more service opportunities for citizens in this country. Regardless of political persuasion, it is exciting that the president-elect recognizes the importance of our participation in strengthening our democracy and working to change the problems we all face. But Downs gives us a challenge – “[S]o why wait until January to get started?”

Allison Fine at Social Citizens Blog had an interesting idea. In her post Making Our Own Transition Plans, she ruminates on the idea of creating a personal transition plan. She points out that “…even if today isn't the right time for you to have a career built around [an] issue [that you care about], you can still create a Cause on Facebook to show and share your support for it, you can blog about it, join a Meetup about it….” Obama’s call to action on the night he was elected was to every citizen.

What is most important to you as we move forward as a country? How can you be involved? What is in your transition plan? What are some ideas you have to affect change in our country? What are you going to do to help strengthen our democracy?

Reflections from the Facing Race Conference

The “Facing Race” Conference sponsored by the Applied Research Center took place in Oakland, CA, on Nov. 13-15.  Billed as “the largest gathering of racial justice advocates in the U.S.,” the conference brought together a racially diverse crowd of people just a little over a week after the election of Barack Obama. 

There was a palpable feeling of excitement and energy as participants gathered for the opening keynote by American Indian author Sherman Alexie.  Alexie’s keynote was his usual mix of irreverent and biting humor, or what he calls “serious humor,” to illustrate hard truths about racism, oppression, poverty, and stereotypes.  Alexie told about his experiences growing up in poverty on the Spokane Indian Reservation and ultimately leaving the reservation to attend a “100% white” school, a journey that he chronicled in his book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  He described himself as a “cultural schizophrenic” who can glide easily between the worlds of “Sherman,” the urban Indian, and “Junior,” the “rez” Indian.  At first, he said, he felt vaguely uncomfortable about his success as an author, but then he had a moment of epiphany during a book tour when he realized that “I travel the world telling stories—how f----ing Indian is that?!”  He also caused a stir among conference participants when he asserted that poor white people have less privilege than “rich” (by his own admission) people of color like him and said that he believes that affirmative action should be based on class, not race.

More to come about what I heard the next two days...

Saluting Nanette Ward and her "Let's Talk, Columbia" efforts

Nanette Ward, a human rights investigator and educator with the city of Columbia, Missouri, is  resigning her position. Ward led the city's "Let's Talk, Columbia" dialogue-to-change effort.

On behalf of Everyday Democracy, I write to salute Nanette Ward for her efforts on behalf of “Let’s Talk, Columbia.”

Everyday Democracy works with communities across the country, helping them find ways for all kinds of people to think, talk, and work together to solve problems. Thanks to Nanette’s leadership and dedication, Columbia is one of more than 550 communities where public dialogue is becoming a force for change.

For at least seven years, Nanette trained adults and teens to facilitate dialogue, organized monthly community circles and an annual public dialogue event. Let’s Talk, Columbia gave Columbia residents opportunities to address a range of issues, including race, diversity, youth issues, the role of the media, the gap in student achievement, poverty, and more.

Hundreds participated. Together, they built new relationships and networks, and became more active in the public life of the community.

Over the years, the Human Rights Commission has worked with the Missourian, the Reynolds Journalism Institute, Youth Empowerment Zone, the University of Missouri, and the Columbia Public Library, and others. Engaging the support of these community partners expanded the reach of “Let’s Talk, Columbia,” encouraging more people to grapple with tough social and political issues.

Under Nanette’s leadership, Columbia has joined a host of communities across the country where people are learning that every voice matters and that our democracy benefits when everyone gets involved.

We are proud to have worked with you, Nanette. We wish you the very best.

Molly Barrett
Everyday Democracy

St. Mary's College of Maryland Wins Award For Multicultural Public Relations Program

The St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) Office of Public and Media Relations has won a Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Thoth Award for developing and producing an outstanding, strategic public relations program on race relations in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. The award is shared with the St. Mary’s County Human Relations Commission and the county’s Board of Education.  Thoth awards are bestowed annually by the PRSA National Capital Chapter in a number of public relations categories. The college and the county won in the Multicultural Public Relations Program category for the annual SMCM Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast enhanced by a countywide Race Relations Study Circles Program. More than 135 entries in 27 categories were considered. Twenty-three Thoth Awards were presented at an evening awards gala in Washington, which was attended by more than 200 communications professionals.

Left: Rev. Walter Fauntroy, Keynote Speaker at the 2008 Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast at SMCM.

Marc Apter, APR, accepted the award on behalf of the college. “The growth of Study Circles is a direct result of the positive effect the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast has had on our community for the past several years,” said Apter, associate vice president of marketing and public relations at SMCM. “We wanted the breakfast to extend into community life on a regular basis. We were able to adopt a Study Circles program that brings a diverse group of people together in several community locations for frank discussions leading to solutions of racial issues in our community and at the college.”

According to Apter, the college’s diversity and that of each Study Circle group reflects the larger Southern Maryland community. The difference between SMCM and most good, private liberal arts colleges is that SMCM has greater economic and ethnic diversity among its students. Minority representation is almost 20 percent of the student population. The college aggressively recruits high-achieving minority students from the greater Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas. Each study circle group is planned to have diversity built into it, made up of men and women of different races and ages.

To be considered for the 2008 Thoth award, a detailed entry was required that described the creative origins and the plan of action for publicizing the Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast and the Community Race Relations Study Circles Program. The awards submission included the research, planning and execution of the events, as well as an evaluation of the program’s success in measurable terms.

Right: House Majority Leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), speaks at the 2008 MLK Breakfast on the community's commitment to continuing meaningful dialogue on race relations.

“We are proud to recognize St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s leadership in race relations in Southern Maryland,” said Heathere Evans-Keenan, president of the PRSA National Capital Chapter and founder of Keenan PR, Inc., when presenting the award. Pronounced “Tot” and named for the Egyptian god of information and communication, this year’s event marked the 40th anniversary of the Thoth Awards. 

Local Race Relations Study Circles grew out of the Southern Maryland community’s and the college’s desire to broaden the impact of the popular annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast which is held annually at the college. After researching ways to approach multicultural and educational issues between races, the college chose the Study Circles concept, which originated with Everyday Democracy. Study Circles groups meet with the goal of promoting discussion among community members about shared concerns, experiences, and recommendations on improving race relations. The program was adopted for use in the larger St. Mary’s County community and at the college for student, faculty and staff.

The racial and ethnic diversity of St. Mary’s County Public School students and families is special, but can also make it challenging to communicate with everyone, to work together, and to make sure each student succeeds. The school system partnered with St. Mary’s College and St. Mary’s County Gov-ernment to offer the Study Circle process to schools and the larger St. Mary’s community. As a result of this partnership, the Board of Education was able to facilitate several successful Study Circles. The three collaborating institutions successfully trained ten Study Circles facilitators. The Study Circles dialogue provides the board with the tools to celebrate diversity and with recommendations to help students.  To date, the school system has implemented three successful school-based Study Circles with two additional circles scheduled to begin later this fall.

Left: Study Circle participants in St. Mary's County, MD talk about resolving race relations issues.

Leaders from local government, industry and non-profit sectors have participated in Study Circles. The county sheriff’s office and the local military base, Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, plan to hold Study Circles in the coming months. Individuals interested in taking part in local Race Relations Study Circles should contact Marc Apter at mlapter@smcm.edu.

The PRSA National Capital Chapter represents the world’s leadership in the practice of public rela-tions. Supporting more than 1,400 PRSA members, the chapter provides professional development programs, accreditation instruction and networking opportunities. The chapter also promotes public re-lations education through the support of five regional chapters and a Career Academy for inner city high school students.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland is ranked one of the best liberal arts Colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and Kiplinger’s. With roots going back to 1840, SMCM is the state’s only public honors College, offering “an Ivy-level College with a public-school price tag” (Newsweek).

(Top right hand photo: St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Marc Apter (third from left), APR, associate vice president for marketing and public relations, accepts the 2008 Thoth Award in the Multicultural Public Relations Program category from the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter at a gala in Washington also attended by (from left to right) Torre Meringolo, college vice president for development; Melvin “Mac” McClintock, current St. Mary’s County Human Relations Commission chair; and Robin Kendall, formerly of the college’s Office of Public and Media Relations and now a freelance writer.)

Impacting West Virginia’s Economy: Culture, Creativity and Innovation

The second Create West Virginia conference focused on new economic development opportunities posed by expanded technology, combined with ideas related to generating revenue through innovation.  Among the approximately 400 attending (nearly double the previous year’s attendance record) were business owners, community leaders, educators, economic and community developers, artists and elected officials.  The 42 sessions fell into several tracks – education, tolerance, technology, place, strategy, resources, and business.

Many of those attending this conference expressed the importance of civic participation in this “new economy.”  Qualities speakers described as important to the new economy included an internet commerce/global perspective and creative thinking.  Examples cited of industries that could flourish in this new economy included engineering, software development, arts and culture, graphic design, research and other ‘idea-based’ industries.  The hope is that an increase in these areas will offset the downturn in state mining and manufacturing.

The Building Tolerance and Diversity track included a workshop I presented on behalf of Everyday Democracy entitled Building Inclusive Communities through Immigration. During the sample dialogue, several participants spoke about living in West Virginia for 15 or 20 years and still being considered a ‘newcomer.’ Acceptance and trust comes slow to new residents in this area; one purpose of the tolerance track was to emphasize that old attitudes toward newcomers pose a threat by not recognizing the potential for growth and relevant economic change that may result from what new residents have to offer. I described how recent immigrants have boosted the economy in Jackson, WY and how dialogues there resulted in ESL programs supported by employers and a group researching misinformation about immigrants in the area, along with findings of the positive economic impact their presence has had on the local economy.

The need is great for more and better-paying jobs in West Virginia.  I spoke with several women who worked in area hotels and restaurants.  “A lot of men from these small towns, they leave home Monday morning to go to their jobs out of state,” explained one woman. “My husband shares a hotel room with two other men who had to leave the state to find work.  He comes home on Fridays. While he’s gone, I tend the farm early mornings, feed the kids and head over to the hotel for my night job.” Others nodded as she spoke, noting that this is not an out-of-the-ordinary lifestyle here.

Technology offers opportunity and a proximity of sorts to this secluded area.  Among the organizations present at the conference was the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, which is partnering with Create West Virginia, linking potential investors with entrepreneurs with strong business plans. One person during the conference’s opening session noted: “We need to stop competing for a share of a shrinking pie; what we need to do is define a successful slice of the growing pie.”

Election thoughts from the civic world

The election is behind us and now the hard work begins! Read here a sampling of what our friends are saying about the promise of this election, and the challenge for community-building work.

Rinku Sen of the Applied Research Center writes: “We are moved and encouraged by the fantastic surge of activism and dialogue that has marked this election season. The unprecedented voter turnout, particularly among communities of color, immigrants and young people, revealed a growing hunger for full inclusion in our political process. Putting the first person of color in the nation's highest office symbolizes our ability to act together to further our deepest values - fairness, dignity compassion, optimism. The outcome of all that action speaks to the intelligence and honor of the American people.”

Peter Levine at CIRCLE reflects on the 22 million-plus young people who voted Tuesday: “From a nonpartisan perspective, it is heartening to see young people so motivated and engaged in a national election,” Levine said. “Young Americans are also involved in community service at record rates. We must build on the momentum from this election to find ways to keep them civically engaged. It is also critical that those who did not vote for Barack Obama, or who did not vote at all, will feel included in politics, government and community affairs.”

From a blog post by Alan Jenkins at Opportunity Agenda: “But the electoral sea change is just part of the extraordinary national moment. The financial meltdown and slide toward deep recession have crystallized Americans’ anger over deteriorating economic security, stagnant mobility, growing inequality, and policies of isolation instead of connection. Americans are ready for a new social compact and a transformed relationship between the people and our government. They are calling for a new era of big ideas and different values than we’ve seen over most of the past three decades.” Read the full post here.

Makani Themba-Nixon, executive director of The Praxis Project, reflects: : “Perhaps we start with how do we build the infrastructure to support progressive, local work that helps channel this new activism?  What are the next fights/ initiatives we can craft to bring people closer to a concrete political framework that solves problems, broadens their imagination and deepens their analysis?  What are the necessary reforms, frames, stories, institutional changes that help to facilitate this larger project?  And what new stories can be told, new dreams that can be inspired?  In short, what are the cool next things that, yes we can do?

Public Agenda’s Scott Bittle writes on the blog: “There are serious issues surrounding race in the United States – the gaps in income, educational achievement, and other statistics persist. There are also wide differences in perceptions on race relations between whites and minorities. The problems around race are not resolved, and there's still a lot for the nation to work on. But one question can be laid to rest. Surveys have shown for some time that majorities of Americans said they were ready to vote for an African American for president. But doubts persisted, with many wondering if people were lying to the pollsters, and questioning whether the public would really follow through in the voting booth.
“On Tuesday night, they did. And that can only be called progress.”

Read the full post here.

What are your thoughts as we work to harness new civic energy in our communities?

Students embrace diversity through “Mix It Up”

 

Thousands of students across the country will be mixing it up in their cafeterias on Nov.13 as part of the national “Mix It Up at Lunch Day” campaign. On this day, students branch out sit with people outside of their normal social group. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Tolerance.org launched the campaign in response to hearing that young people can find it hard to fit in at school, and that nowhere is the divide between groups more clear than in the school cafeteria.

Mix It Up is not only about helping young people step out of their comfort zones, but it also aims to plant the seeds for change. “Mix It Up believes in the power of youth to create and sustain real change. We want to provide ideas and tools to help you break the walls of division in your school and community.”

In 2007, over 10,000 elementary, middle, and high schools participated, and over the six years of the program, over 43,000 schools and millions of students have participated.

What does Mix It Up at Lunch Day look like? Mix It Up’s website offers a number of ideas for hosting the event, including:

• Offering special food to create a festive environment that students will enjoy
• Inviting guests from the community to encourage and support students’ efforts to get to know each other
• Providing questions the students can ask each other in order to get to know each other
• Assigning students to tables, taking some of the fear out of finding a table
• Letting students pick new people to sit with (with assistance from teachers, if needed)
• Promoting the event with a fun theme, like wearing mismatched, or ‘mixed up’ clothing

Why did schools participate Mix It Up at Lunch Day in 2007?

Washington Irving School #14 in Indianapolis, IN – to combat bullying. One 4th grade student said: "I thought it was really cool and I was able to meet new people….We are not friends yet but I now know them. I can't wait until next year."

Central High School in Little Rock, AK – so students can “cross social boundaries, meet new friends, and learn that diversity is as accessible as a table in the cafeteria.” Despite the anxiety some students expressed as they looked for new places to sit, one girl told her friends, "Did you see who was sitting at our regular table? We should do this every day!"

Archie R. Cole Junior High School in East Greenwich, RI – to encourage kids to make a positive difference with their lives. Conversations that began at lunch extended into classroom discussions. In one 7th grad English class, students decided that they wanted to work “towards change through initiatives such as an anti-bullying campaign.”

How can I get my school involved next year? Go to the Mix It Up web page and check out the How to Mix It Up at Lunch information. You’ll learn how to organize, plan, publicize, educate, and act to get students, teachers, counselors, staff, administrators, and school clubs on board with this exciting event.

The next 364 days...

It’s been a long time coming, and today, we’re on the brink of change whatever the results of this election. We’ve heard lots (and lots, and lots…) of talk during this campaign season about doing politics differently. We wonder: How would it look if people actually talked and listened to each other about ways to make the places they live work better? And what if government officials were in that mix?

At the local level, we’ve seen it happen. In communities across the country, the “government,”—firefighters, fire chiefs, teachers, superintendents, mayors, council members, neighborhood councils, police—and all kinds of residents who are affected by local policies get together to solve problems. We’ve featured many of these stories here at DemocracySpace.

Our challenge is to figure out ways to take the energy coming from this election, and keep people engaged in creating a living, strong democracy. No matter who wins, this will be our work. We’ve seen what can happen when everyday people have a voice at the local level. Now, we need to ask ourselves: What kind of governance do we need at all levels?

At our recent Strengthening our Nation’s Democracy conference, we talked about how democratic reform at the national level and all this energy at the local level are coming together at this moment in history. At the same time, both political parties are talking about creating responsive, transparent government.

The climate is right for a change in the way we do politics. We must do our best to harness the power generated by the competition of ideas during this election season and convert it into the energy it takes to make our communities and our country work better for everyone, every day.

Democracy Lab Spring '09 Online Course!

It's that time of year to start thinking about the Democracy Lab Spring '09 course!  
 

What:  Democracy Lab is a 10-week online course that engages your student in cross-country dialogue with students from different universities around a significant current issue.

When: Tentative course dates of February 2nd - April 12th, 2009.

Who: Students from a wide-range of disciplines including Communications, Political Science, History and Social Work.

Course Issues: Available issues can be found on our website at www.teachingdemocracyonline.org and will most likely include Racial and Ethnic Tensions and we are currently developing issues about the economy and climate change.  Issue selection is based on professor interest.

How Much: $25/student course fee which each student is responsible for at time of registration.
 
Faculty Incentives: New Democracy Lab faculty have the opportunity to receive a $250 development grant to incorporate DL into their existing course.  A limited number of these grants are available so act now.

Referral Fee: If you cannot incorporate DL into your course this semester, but know of someone who could?  You can receive $100 for every new professor who uses DL with a class of 15 or more students.  Spread the word and share this email with everyone you know!!
 

What students have to say about their Democracy Lab experience:
 
"I liked the opportunity to talk to people about these issues because most of my friends don't care to talk about them.  We had a chance to talk about things that people wouldn't normally talk about, but are important."  -DL Student, Spring '08
 
"I enjoyed learning from my classmates instead of sitting in a classroom being lectured."  -DL Student, Spring '08
 
"I learned to listen more before I jump straight to conclusions.  I'm now feel more inclined to ask questions and try to look at all aspects of the situation." 
-DL Student, Spring '08
 
"I enjoyed hearing the different perspectives of other students and sharing my own.  I learned more about views from minorities that I was aware of, but did not really have a personal aspect on before." -DL Student, Racial and Ethnic Tensions Spring '08
 
 

 
Sign me up!  To reserve a place for your class in the DL Fall '08 course, please contact Malia Crouse at mcrouse@regis.edu with your top two issues of interest.  For more information visit our website at www.teachingdemocracyonline.org. 
 
I look forward to hearing from you,

Malia Crouse
Democracy Lab Coordinator
Institute on the Common Good
Regis University
Denver, CO
303-964-5717

Jacksonville, Fla.: Taking the path of action on racism

The energy from the event is still in the air! Nearly 50 individuals from previous Study Circles shared their thoughts and concerns on Sept.18 as we moved from dialogue to action via the first Study Circles Action Forum in nearly six years. For many it was a new experience while, for others, a return to the path of action.

Here’s a summary from the study circle action teams:

Justice and Advocacy
The Justice Action Team’s goal is to raise awareness of bias in the Duval County judicial system. To accomplish this goal we will work with the Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office crime analysis unit to gather age, race and gender statistics for comparison with regard to verdict/sentence, severity and recidivism.  This data will be used in two ways: 1) to establish a baseline from which we can enlist local colleges and universities to monitor future trends and 2) to leverage our ultimate goal of establishing affinity study circles in the judicial system.

The Media & Perception
The Media Action Team will perform a 28-day media watch. Group members are watching local television news, reading local newspapers and newsmagazines as well as monthly publications by the City and other organizations. The group is looking for examples of racial bias in the media. In particular, we are looking at how violent crime is portrayed—as a problem only experienced in the African-American community. We are also looking at the “whitewashing” of advertisements for new homes and promotional materials for tourists. Jacksonville is far more diverse than what the tourism materials and new home advertisements make it appear.

The Education Action Team
The Education Action Team’s consensus was to focus on two main items, teaching inclusion and expanding and increasing a focus on study circles to include interfaith and intercultural dialogue. The team will begin with research on what programs are already in place and working with the school system at the administrative level to teach diversity and inclusion. The action team will also work with the study circles program to identify opportunities to expand the dialogue to become more inclusive.

Jacksonville, Fla., is one of nine communities selected by Everyday Democracy to take part in “Communities Creating Racial Equity,” an initiative aimed at helping communities create and sustain public engagement and community change on issues around racial equity.