In June 2020, the Kluge Center announced Danielle Allen as the winner of the Kluge Prize, launching the Our Common Purpose Campaign for Civic Strength at the Library of Congress. Allen hosted a series of exciting conversations at the Library to explore the nation’s civic life and ways that people from all political beliefs and social causes can build a stronger, more resilient democracy. Each event was accompanied by a workshop for K-12 educators and public librarians, in which teachers from across the country had the opportunity to connect, explore, experiment and create new ways of making civic ideals come to life in their classrooms.
“We all know that this is a critical and urgent moment in our nation’s history,” Allen said in announcing the series. “We have faced crises as a nation before. We can continue to watch and worry and tweet at each other – or we can emerge stronger and more resilient by taking real action now to save our constitutional democracy.”
One year later, we’ve completed the cycle of events and are thrilled to be able to share them with you here. Watch all three public events below, and click the links to read our blog posts that provide some background on each event’s themes as well as posts that pull out some of the highlights from each event.
Using Civic Media to Build a Better Society
Is Civic Media the Antidote to a Polarized World?
Is Civic Media the Answer to Trolls, Misinformation, and Abuse Online?
How Political Institutions Shape Outcomes and How We Might Reform Them
Our Common Purpose: Second Event Looks at Reforming Electoral Institutions
Why Reforming Electoral Institutions Might Be the Best Way to Change Policymaking
Finding a Shared Historical Narrative
What Makes Americans American? Why Origin Stories Require Negotiation
Wrestling with the Question of American Identity and Whether Consensus is Possible