The Ash Center and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) invites you to a discussion of Our Common Purpose, a report issued by the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. The Commission, which was launched by AAAS, 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.  

In recent years, several countries throughout the Americas have increasingly experienced concerning signs of democratic backsliding: Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, Paraguay and Peru have all seen varying degrees of deterioration of their democractic institutions such as independence of the judiciary or the right to free protest. Similarly, the United States, which has long prided itself as a champion of democracy in the region and the world, was shaken by an unprecedented threat to its democracy on January 6 when a mob of insurgents sieged the Capitol building in an...

The last several years have seen the growing and successful use of citizen-initiated ballot initiatives to win major election reforms. Some of the most successful, well-funded, and engaging campaigns have had unlikely initiators: small groups of everyday Americans fed up with waiting for someone else to take on an issue and deciding to do it themselves. Organizers of successful citizen-driven campaigns from different parts of the country, which beat the odds and succeeded, will discuss their issues, their motivations, and how they won.

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Rapid response moments can spark nationwide movements — if you know how to use them to your advantage. Join Ernest Britt, Color Of Change Senior Campaign Manager and former Digital Manager for Stacey Abrams, for a hands-on workshop on digital rapid response techniques and how to transform crises into clear calls to action. Using real-life examples from Ernest’s experience on presidential and gubernatorial campaigns, participants will learn how to more effectively approach rapid response, including crafting a narrative, engaging stakeholders,...

The February 1st coup launched by Myanmar's military effectively put an end to the country's tentative transition to democracy as civilian political leaders were imprisoned and the results of the 2020 elections annulled. Joining us to discuss these recent events in Myanmar and what they portend for the country's future are Pwint Htun, Non-Residential Myanmar Program Fellow at the Ash Center and Derek Mitchell, president of the National Democratic Institute and former U.S. ambassador to Myanmar. The conversation will be moderated by Tarek Masoud, Professor of Public Policy and...