Tag: Vista

As the year comes to a close, we wish for all our partners deep rest and connection with family and friends. Enjoy this article by the National Civic League to inspire your community connections, A Simple Recipe for Complex Community Change: Make Stone Soup. While many of us feel we are heading into a period of unsettling uncertainty in 2025, the pro-democracy field has been preparing and is ready to face this uncertainty together, as described by these leaders in philanthropy. Many organizations are thoughtfully curating end-of-the-year reading lists, such as this one from Protect Democracy, What to Read Before the Storm; and this top ten list of books to celebrate Trans Joy.

We know that the work of protecting democracy is just as important in between elections, as described in this piece about the on-going work of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. And many organizations continue to shine a light on the connection between attacks on gender rights and authoritarianism, and are providing both analysis and tools to understand and prevent gender and sexuality-based bigotry. There is increasing concern and attention on the role of the tech industry co-opting government, such as this review of the new book The Tech Coup. And many lessons to be learned from the positive role that pro-democracy business leaders have played in other countries, such as this new case study on how businesses helped end apartheid in South Africa.

Now is a time for resiliency in our sector, and you can re-watch Horizons most recent webinar on resilience and post-election management with lessons from Zimbabwe and US civic leaders. And you can watch Eric Ward and Deepa Iyer discuss ‘Cultivating Solidarity and Hope in a Fractured World’ in this recent webinar hosted by the Social Change Initiative.There are many guides on protecting yourself and your organization such as some of these on safer on-line communication, digital security practices and this excellent resource from Muslims for Justice on protection for grassroots organizations with advice on fiscal sponsorship, bail funds, and mutual aid basics. And you might want to sign up for this weekly digital rights newsletter. Thanks to the RadComms network for crowdsourcing some of these great resources! Finally, as a reminder, if you or your community are facing threats or acts of political violence, you can request training and ongoing support for how you can address it here.

Take a listen to Chief Organizer, Maria Stephan’s most recent podcast with our friends from 22^nd Century Initiative on Defending Democracy with Civil Resistance, and you can read about our team’s session at the recent Facing Race conference on Advancing Racial Justice With Futures Thinking and Approaches.

Enjoy the other resources we’ve been reading, watching, and listening to this month, and happy holidays from the entire Horizons’ team.

READING

Supporting Society’s Bridge Builders
by Don Gips, Tulaine Montgomery, Rohini Nilekani, & Cristiane Sultani, Stanford Social Innovation Review

The authors extol the role of “system orchestrators” to meet this moment, understanding that linear problem-solving is not enough. Horizons agrees! “System orchestrators play a critical role in bringing about transformational social change by knitting together actors and institutions, providing backbone infrastructure, and mobilizing collective change efforts across ecosystems, sectors, and geographies. Along the way, they shape new paradigms, leverage system-wide resources, and navigate complexity, all to create forward momentum and progress at societal scale. System orchestrators are often overlooked because of the complex, collaborative, and behind-the-scenes roles they play in long-term systems-change efforts…If you want to drive equitable systems change, investing in system orchestrators is among the highest-leverage investments that the philanthropic sector can make.”

Fear, Grievance, and the Other:How Authoritarian Populist Politics Thrive in Contemporary Democracies
by Miriam Juan-Torres Gonzalez, Othering & Belonging Institute

This paper offers key concepts to understand politics beyond the left-right paradigm. It “advances the framework of authoritarian populism as an analytical tool that better describes a form of politics (not an ideology or regime type) that draws from both the authoritarian and populist playbooks... Beyond just serving as a descriptive model, the framework [seeks] to offer insights not only into how we can understand a concerning and newly dominant force in politics today, but also how we can more effectively counter it without provoking further othering or division. It asks us to question whether we are reinforcing the authoritarian populist double lens of ‘elite versus the people’ and ‘us versus them,’ or if we are advancing a different lens to process reality that is predicated on belonging without othering.”

Stop and Think: An undervalued approach in a world that short-circuits thoughtful political judgment
by Robert B. Talisse, The Conversation

As author, Robert B. Talisse argues in his new book Civic Solitude: Why Democracy Needs Distance, “the trouble is that our social environments are primed to short-circuit our thinking. They engage our reflexes while suppressing our judgment. Here’s how. We humans are all subject to a cognitive dynamic known as belief polarization. This is the tendency for individuals to adopt more extreme perspectives as a result of their interactions with like-minded peers. When we shift toward more radical views, we become more inclined to dismiss anyone who does not agree with us as ignorant, irrational and devious… As belief polarization escalates, we feel more pressure to conform. Hesitation begins to look like disloyalty. Even a momentary reluctance to affirm the party line signals to allies that our commitment to the group is wavering. Accordingly, we become more inclined simply to adopt the opinions that are popular among our peers – we decide what to think by mimicking our allies.”

WATCHING

How to Survive the Next 4 Years as an Undocumented American
Define American with Jose Antonio Vargas

Like millions of other undocumented Americans, Jose Antonio is trying to figure out how he’s going to survive the next four years. In this series, he'll be seeking to answer a fundamental question: “How do you define American? When we start deporting people person by person, family by family, that’s the question we are going to be asking. In this first episode, he speaks with two exceptionally brave women who have devoted their careers to helping other undocumented immigrants: Patrice Lawrence, executive director of UndocuBlack and an advocate for undocumented and formerly undocumented Black immigrants; and Erika Andiola, a leading immigrants’ rights activist based in Phoenix, and currently serves as Communications Director at Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights.”

Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right with Arlie Hochschild
Next Question with Katie Couric

“Arlie Hochschild, a sociologist from Berkely, has spent a chunk of the last decade in ruby red areas of the United States. During that time she’s written two books: Strangers In Their Own Land, and now, Stolen Pride. Arlie interviewed dozens of people from Pike County, Kentucky–the whitest and second poorest district in the country–to better understand what’s happening in the rust belt and why those voters are so drawn to Donald Trump. In her view, it’s not just about the economy, trans rights, or climate change, but about loss, shame, and ultimately pride. Arlie invites us to open our minds and ears so we can learn about one another and begin to come together.”

The Fall of Any Dictator Reflects Badly on All Autocracies
Sky News

“Journalist and author Anne Applebaum joins Trevor Phillips to discuss the network of authoritarian states and the issues they pose for the West. It comes after the Assad regime which ruled over Syria was toppled by rebel forces. Ms. Applebaum says, ‘the fall of Assad as a blow to the alliance [of Russia, China, Iran etc.] - it may mean Putin doubles down on his war in Ukraine.’”

LISTENING TO

Solidarity is Hard
Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life Podcast

“Democracy flourishes when communities inspire and learn from one another. In this special chapter, recorded live at the 2024 PolicyLink Equity Summit, Hillary Holley, Kent Wong, and Alberto Retana discuss the evolution and power of local action in the South and in Los Angeles, showing how each community’s unique path fuels a shared fight for justice, resilience, and real change.

The Future of our Former Democracy
More Equitable Democracy Podcast Series

This seven-part series describes how Northern Ireland’s history and politics offer a blueprint for how the US can implement a better electoral system, especially in the wake of rising polarization and political violence. Developed by More Equitable Democracy, a racial justice organization working to advance racial equity through electoral reform, the series offers historical context, personal stories, and expert interviews, “to inspire listeners to consider radical changes that can lead to a more equitable and representative democracy.”

Rest, Resilience, and Joy in Tough Times
More PlayFull Than Ever Podcast

“Kristine Michie and a group of changemakers discuss resilience and joy post-2024 election. They share anecdotes, reflections, and strategies on rest, ancestral wisdom, and community in advocacy. This episode inspires and offers practical ways to make an impact, blending play and purpose.” Some of the insights include: joyful communal experiences strengthen bonds and inspire hope; rest as resistance ensures sustainable advocacy; ancestral wisdom provides grounding and strategies for modern challenges; and, role modeling uplifts the next generation, fostering a legacy of advocacy.

FOR FUN

Parallels Between Wicked and Civic Engagement

Our friend Piper Hendricks from Stories Change Power put together this fun list of parallels between the movie musical Wicked and real-life civic engagement. If you’ve seen the movie or musical, you’ll enjoy this commentary. We especially appreciated her last three insights about Silence in the Face of Oppression, that Communities Thrive When People Stand Together, and that Change Requires Courage.

Here we are at the end of November on the other side of the US elections, and if you haven’t read enough post-election analysis yet, check out this crowdsourced bibliography of articles organized by Eli Pariser of New_Public. We would especially recommend this piece by Rebecca Solnit about how to stay grounded in love in this moment and not give into fear. And also, this advice from Deepa Iyer, using the Social Change Map to highlight the need to Grieve, Connect, Act, Reflect, Correct. (Repeat). Our colleague Scot Nakagawa shared these Recommendations for Anti-Authoritarian Resistance saying that we must adapt, not assimilate. And Mark and Peter Engler write that “there is no better antidote to hopelessness than action in community” as we expect a new wave of movements to arise.

One theme that has been emerging after the election is what kind of deep listening practices and trusted information systems will be needed in the coming months and years. You can find Five Media-Related Actions We Can All Take Before Inauguration Day here; and some inspiration on why building a trusted information ecosystem requires building a community. The new SSIR series on social sector communications is excellent, especially this piece on moving Beyond the Broadcasting Model. “Today’s communications landscape demands that social sector organizations move away from a 20th-century broadcasting approach and toward dialogue, relationship-building, and fostering community.”You may also be interested in the launch of the new Civic Information Index, “a new data tool that brings often siloed players in our civic health and information ecosystems together around the same goal: building informed, engaged, healthy and equitable communities.”

Horizons will continue to prioritize our work with the various pillars of support for democracy, including the business pillar which has a unique responsibility to stand up for human rights as described here by Bennett Freeman. Our colleague Chloe Schwenke has written about the many ways you can support the transgender community right now. And as we continue to listen to and learn from our colleagues from other countries, you may want to check out the perspectives and disappointments voiced from this panel of African leaders on the recently concluded COP29 climate talks in Baku.

Check out the overview and watch the recording of the webinar Horizons and the Democracy Hub recently hosted on Defending Democracy with Humor and Dilemma Actions Tactics; and, don’t miss Chief Organizer Maria Stephan’s latest article, How we can meet the challenges of authoritarianism.

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Horizons team is grateful for all our partners and the inspiring work you continue to do. Here are some other resources we are reading, watching, and listening to this month:

READING

10 Ways to be Prepared and Grounded Now that Trump has Won
by Daniel Hunter, Waging Nonviolence

“The key to taking effective action in a Trump world is to avoid perpetuating...fear, isolation, exhaustion and disorientation.” Our colleague Daniel Hunter offers some helpful advice: to take care of yourself, find your people to process together, make space to grieve, and then find your path for action. He describes four concrete paths: (1) Protecting People; (2) Defending Civic Institutions; (3) Disrupt and Disobey; and (4) Building Alternatives. “We can’t just be stuck reacting and stopping the bad. We have to have a vision. This is the slow growth work of building alternative ways that are more democratic.” 

These Times Ask More of Us: Practices that will help social sector leaders prepare to usher in a new world
by Cassie Robinson & Sophia Parker, Stanford Social Innovation Review

Don’t miss this inspiring compilation of articles curated by the Joseph Rowntree team. “In every moment, glimmers of alternative futures appear. The present is made up not only of the knowable and measurable, but also of what is latent or hidden: the stuff of our hopes, imaginations, and spiritual existence…We focus much more on strategic intentions than strategic planning and ground ourselves in the philosophy so beautifully described in adrienne maree brown’s work: that ‘what we pay attention to, grows.’”
This issue is divided into four interlinked sections: exploring hospicing and stewarding loss; collective imagination; capacities and capabilities of ‘complexity consciousness;’ and finally, using different instruments and approaches to wealth flows.

Will Trump Teach Us to Care About Democracy Again?
by Marshall Gantz, The Walrus

“Millions of Americans could strengthen democracy by practicing it…yet, it is precisely Americans’ useful knowledge of the practices that enable purposeful collective action that we have allowed to atrophy. Many are out of practice at coming together, committing to one another in pursuit of a shared purpose, deliberating together, deciding together, and acting together—the essential practices of democracy in its most everyday form. The same goes for skills related to group decision making, managing internal conflict, or holding one another accountable—the most basic democratic practices. We see, hear, and read about the major threats to democracy every day, but a closer look reveals the depth of the challenges we face in our everyday lives.”

WATCHING

Panel discussion on generating the connective tissue of American civil society
Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society

If you are looking for positive stories and inspiration of where and how civic life is thriving in the US, you will enjoy watching this recorded discussion with Sam Pressler (author of the Connective Tissue policy framework), Pete Davis (co-director of Join or Die); Josh Fryday (California's Chief Service Officer, leader of CA Volunteers); and Hollie Russon Gilman (Senior Fellow at New America, affiliate at Harvard's Ash Center, & advisor to Trust for Civic Life).

A Democracy Post-Mortem: What Exit Poll Data Reveals About Race in America Today
Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation

Two days after the US election, Professors Khalil Gibran Muhammad and Leah Wright Rigueur hosted an online conversation addressing the current political moment. Examining exit poll data, the two historians worked together to make sense of the election’s outcome — and what it means for the future of American democracy. Some of the insights they reflected on included that this election ‘forces us to think differently’ and that movements win elections — not parties. You can also read a short summary of the webinar here.

A Call to Hearten: Let Tender Tenacity Walk with Fierce Patience
Upaya Zen Center

Enjoy this short meditation that John Paul Lederach offered just days after the election. With this poetic reflection on resilience and compassion, he asks, “‘How do we hold hardness, how do we hold our woundedness, while freeing our beauty?’ John Paul speaks to the challenges of facing uncertainty and the difficult emotions and experiences that often accompany it. He encourages us to find our courage, to engage with suffering, and to transform it through compassion and wise, patient practice.”

LISTENING TO

When No Things Work, With Norma Wong
How to Survive the End of the World Podcast

Cohosts, adrienne maree brown and Autumn Brown sit down with the “great teacher, Norma Wong, whose new book, When No Thing Works: A Zen and Indigenous Perspective on Resilience, Shared Purpose, and Leadership in the Timeplace of Collapse, was released the day after the election. Wong brings her years of organizing, electoral work, and spiritual practice to bear on this moment… with wisdom, wit, and deep care for all life.”

Spaces for Collective Imagining
Alive and Learning Podcast

In this episode, Cat Zuzarte Tully and Abi Nokes of the School of International Futures (SOIF) talk about the practice of foresight and what distinguishes SOIF’s approach from other futurists. “Cat and Abi share what it takes to host interactive foresight sessions that promote psychological safety conducive to collectively imagining futures. They talk about challenging dominant patterns of thinking and navigating power dynamics to envision alternative pathways that put intergenerational fairness at the forefront. They shine a light on how responsible leaders can democratize the ways in which we engage with signals of the future that are here with us now.”

Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails
Ezra Klein Podcast

“Anne Applebaum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, a staff writer at The Atlantic, and the author of a new book, “Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World.” In this conversation, [Ezra and Anne] discuss how she’s been processing Trump’s cabinet picks, what to make of Elon Musk’s role in Trump’s inner circle, the indicators to look out for when governments slide in an autocratic direction, the appeal and excitement of autocratic regimes that often get missed in our history books, the relationship between autocracies and futurists, the politics of performance and more.”

FOR WELLBEING

Finding Steady Ground

To be in shape for the long haul, we have to get our minds and spirits ready, as well as jump into action. When we’re in bad shape, our power is diminished — we’re less creative, more reactive, and less able to plan strategically. If we intend to stay active and effective in the world, we have a responsibility to tend to our spirits. Check out this list of seven behaviors we can use right away to strengthen ourselves, so we can keep taking more and more powerful and strategic actions.For example: Daily, I will make human-to-human connection with another person and make sure we stay in motion. Once a week, I will pray, meditate, or reflect on those I know who are being impacted by oppressive policies, and extend that love to all who may be suffering.

As the month of October comes to an end, the US elections are finally upon us and there are many resources and insights to support all the diverse efforts underway. Andrea Hailey, the CEO at Vote.org reminds us that Your Vote Has a History: Here’s Why It’s Important. Anne Applebaum has offered A citizen’s guide to defending the 2024 election; you can listen to Stacey Abrams talk about voter suppression and what everyday citizens can do to protect democracy; and, Eric Ward speaks about joy, hope and how this moment is not to be feared.

Many organizations are sharing the results of recent scenario planning and preparations for the future. For example, based on scenarios run with over 300 grassroots power-building organizations, Future Currents prepared a report on the “preparation we need to get ready as well as strengthens and capacities to amplify to stay ready.” SOS Democracy has a 2024 Elections Scenario Planning Guide for newsroom leaders and journalists. Race Forward has prepared a toolkit to respond to the threat posed by Project 2025 to equitable, democratic, and accountable public institutions, as well as longer-term strategies for turning public administration into a force for equity and justice. The Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center recently launched a report to help philanthropy leaders counter rising authoritarianism and address the intersection of gender and democracy. And, the Moral Courage Project has put together a free online mini-course, The Dilemma, with three short videos with concrete actions everyone can take to build trust amongst individuals that can lead to more effective collective action. Our friends at the Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies also released this guide on Protection and Resilience Strategies for nonviolent activists.

Post-election, it will be as important as ever to have a good grasp of the ecosystem of democracy activities and actors to identify and spur our collaborations. The National Civic League recently launched the Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map. You can also consult the new U.S. Democracy Hub from Impala and the Democracy Funders Network designed to help users “navigate the complex democracy ecosystem, understand trends, and make informed decisions.”

ICYMI, check out Horizons’ Chief Organizer Maria Stephan’s recent article: Lessons from Around the World: Engaging ‘Pillars of Support’ to Uphold and Expand Democracy, and if you are interested in receiving information or training on Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE-PV) you can sign up here.

For any and all questions about where and how to vote in your state, you can call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) to speak with a trained Election Protection volunteer. For Spanish/English: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682). You can also consult or forward this this nonpartisan website with information about voting to your networks.

Here are some of the other resources we’ve been reading, watching, and listening to this month:

READING

The Science of Violent vs. Non-Violent Resistance
by Peter Coleman

At a time when many are reflecting on the organizing strategies or tactics needed in the face of injustice, state repression and violence, we are happy to see the research of Chief Organizer Maria Stephan and Erica Chenoweth highlighted in this recent article. “Although violence often feels justified, necessary, and fitting with a sense of outrage against states that employ excessive violence to achieve their goals, does it work? Are violent forms of resistance by lower-power opponents actually effective in achieving their political objectives? Or might non-violent resistance prove a superior strategy? Overall…Chenoweth and Stephan’s research supports the conclusion that nonviolent resistance is more effective than violent approaches for achieving sustainable social and political change.” We would also highlight several articles on the history and current use of nonviolent resistance in Palestine:  Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine is More Dangerous than Ever – But it’s the Only Way Forward, by Sami Awad, Where is the Palestinian Gandhi? An Interview with Issa Amro, and Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine: An Interview with Julia Bacha.

Convenings, Cohorts + Communities: Notes on so-called "impact" gatherings
by Renee Lertzman

As the number of conferences, convenings, and gatherings picks up in 2025, let’s all commit to making them as productive and relationship-ful as possible! This article is chock full of wonderful insights and recommendations to help make our gatherings more impactful. “We are in a collective global moment of figuring out, testing and experimenting with ways of bringing people together for impact. How we do this in service of driving change in the world is a topic of much interest and considerable investment of resources. We are in-between paradigms, between older and more emergent, newer formats… This is thetime to creatively, thoughtfully and carefully consider how we design and foster our communities of impact. To be intentional about format, facilitation and how our gatherings can help grow each other, and inform our practices and business.”

What the landmark ‘1619 Project’ taught Nikole Hannah-Jones
by TyLisa Johnson, Poynter.

Check out this insightful interview with the founder of the 1619 Project, reflecting on the five years since it was launched. “what I learned…is that so many Americans actually want a better understanding of their country, and we’re all kind of struggling with trying to understand the country when we’ve been taught a history of a country that has never existed…what I’ve learned is you can actually create something that is challenging, that is difficult, that is discomfiting, and that there will be an appetite for that. That despite these book bans and these divisive concept laws and these efforts to say that we need to restrict access to this knowledge because it will teach people to hate their country, that actually, people who have a great love for their country want to learn this so that they can make their country better, and I wasn’t expecting that.”

WATCHING

America’s Moment of Truth (Again)
Athens Democracy Forum

During the annual Athens Democracy Forum hosted by the Democracy and Culture Foundation and the New York Times, this international panel of journalists, academics and activists reflected on a “deeply divided U.S. electorate [heading] to the polls for one of the most consequential elections in its history…this panel look[ed] beyond the election to the impact that a win for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump would have on crucial issues like immigration, women’s rights, diplomacy, electoral integrity, executive power… And yes, democracy itself.” You can watch all of the other panels held during the Forum here.

Adventures in Democracy with Baratunde Thurston and Elizabeth Stewart
The Conduit

“In much of the world, democracy is at a low ebb, with autocrats, authoritarians, and outright fascists on a seemingly inexorable rise, and few politicians seemingly capable of charting a credible way forward in the face of the challenges of our time. At such times, even election “victories” come to feel like little more than delays to the inevitable, cause more for relief than excitement. Yet just beneath the media radar, there are signs that another story is taking shape: a story of the renewal and reinvention of democracy, from the ground up and the outside in; of democracy as something we do, not something we have; and of the word citizen more as a verb than a noun. Nowhere is this new story more needed than in the US, and no one tells it better than the Emmy-nominated host, producer, writer and storyteller Baratunde Thurston – working in close partnership with Elizabeth Stewart, his partner in life and creativity. Their work weaves together threads of race, technology, democracy and climate, always coming back to the fundamental truth of our interdependence with one another and with nature.” 

Have We Missed the Message? with Ta-Nehisi Coates
What Now? with Trevor Noah

“Bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates joins Trevor… to discuss his new book The Message - about how the stories we tell, and the ones we don’t, shape our realities. They also unpack the ‘jaw-dropping’ CBS interview that followed the book’s release, and our elusive search as a people to see the humanity in others.”

LISTENING TO

Election Time with Brittney Cooper
How to Survive the End of the World

“In this conversation Professor, Writer, [F]eminist, Southerner, Brittney Cooper⁠ and adrienne maree brown discuss the election and how black women are participating in the voting process with a longer lens.”

Stress Testing Our Democracy
Making Sense with Sam Harris podcast

Sam Harris speaks with Barton Gellman about election integrity and the safeguarding of American democracy. They discuss the war games he's run to test our response to an authoritarian president, using federal troops against American citizens, the difference between laws and norms, state powers to resist the federal government, voter identification and election integrity, political control over election certifications, the Bush-Gore election, the Electoral Count Reform Act, the prospect of public unrest after the November election, January 6^th… Project 2025, and other topics.

Beautifully Flawed Becoming: Bayo Akomolafe on The Co-Creation of New Worlds, Investigating Our Lostness, The Driving Motivation of Wonder…
We are Untold Stories podcast

This “debut conversation explores Bayo's perspective on the vital role of our individual and collective untold stories, our current position at the end of the world as we know it, the emerging co-creation of new worlds, our exploration of lostness, and, in the spirit of a true poet, the profound role of wonder as a driving motivation. Bayo shares otherworldly examples illustrating our interconnectedness, the significance of queer spaces, the crucial necessity of navigating "cracks" within systems, the beauty of the unknowable, and the potential for co-creating life-affirming realities amidst chaos.”

GET INVOLVED!

Timeline to a Meltdown
Wednesday, October 30 from 7:30-9:30pm (EST) 

Worried about threats to democracy following the 2024 election? Join in for Timeline to a Meltdown, a role-playing simulation game exploring some of the real threats to democracy we may see in the coming weeks and months. They will be using brand new scenarios for this simulation so if you participated in the game earlier this year, this session will still be new for you! The simulation is online and open to anyone, but RSVP is required at: mip.la/SIMULATION2

At the UN General Assembly this month, the Pact for the Future was passed, including two annexes: the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration for Future Generations. The School of International Futures released an Implementation Handbook for the Pact - Working for the Wellbeing of Current and Future Generations; and you can read about how democracy fits into the Pact here. Also, you’ll want to take a look at this Keseb-sponsored essay series, 21st-Century Democracy: Building a Transnational Innovation Ecosystem, authored by leading democracy champions from Brazil, South Africa, and the United States.

While many are warning against the authoritarian threat in the US and giving advice about how to get past the “believability gap” that it can and is happening in the US, others are writing about the less dramatic ways that democratic institutions can be eroded, referred to in this article as “slow burn authoritarianism.” Tim Snyder writes that Freedom is Not What We Think it Is, “freedom is national work. It takes a cooperative nation to create free individuals. That cooperation is called government. And freedom is generational work…We have to always be looking ahead. It is this prospect, this sense of a better future enabled by present decisions, that makes a land of the free.”

Nicole Bibbins Sedaca from Freedom House calls for distinguishing between political disagreements and attacks on the system in the Bulwark: When Everything Is a Threat to Democracy, Nothing Is. At the same time there is a call for more attention by philanthropy to crackdowns on social movements. Check out this special series on Women & Democracy, especially this article on the need to invest in young women of color. With the alarming rise of attacks on women’s rights around the world, our friend Mónica Roa López recently described beautifully how the feminist movement is ‘hope in action’.

The hateful rhetoric and spread of misinformation about the Haitian community in Springfield, OH caused an avalanche of online memes and counter-memes this month, with some warning about the dangerous impact of helping to spread this kind of dangerous speech, even to make fun of it. Over Zero recently launched their Election Violence Prevention Resource Page; and the Polarization Research Lab has a released its dashboard with “resources and data to understand and halt the growth of partisan animosity,” including data on support for political violence, social norms violations and statistics on politicians who engage in personal attacks.

Finally, at Horizons we're thrilled to announce the launch of the Democracy Resource Hub, an effort we have been supporting with the 22nd Century Initiative, United Vision for Idaho, and the SHIFT Action Lab. The Hub is a collection of tools, strategies, and insights spanning five key areas: Democracy Strengthening, Power-Building & Nonviolent Action, Peacebuilding, Strategic Planning, and Narrative & Storytelling. Recommendations for other organizations and resources to include in the Hub are welcome. If you missed our most recent video with Chief Organizer, Maria Stephan, explaining how to access the Pillars of Support case studies, you can find it here. And check out Chief Network Weaver, Julia Roig’s most recent blog summarizing our insights from Horizons’ Business for Democracy gatherings in September.

Here are other resources we are reading, watching, and listening to this month:

READING

American Democracy is in Peril. And Racism will be the Sledgehammer that Destroys it.
by Katie Crenshaw, The Guardian

“The backlash against the demands for racial justice that erupted in all 50 states has metastasized into the anti-woke juggernaut against anti-racism, critical race theory, 1619 and now DEI. For too long, too many of our allies and stakeholders sat it out, thinking that the stakes were not that high, that we could simply pivot and not use certain words, effectively dodging the backlash by saying “we don’t do that here.”

Now that this assault has come for something that most Americans really do care about – their country – the potential for interest convergence is ripe. Our country cannot be saved without the input of “the other,” without our history, and without the knowledge about this country that we have long brought to the table. We cannot pivot our way out of this crisis. Our only choice is to fight – to fight for our freedom to speak our history, to name our reality, to learn our condition and to vote to change it.”

Choose Your Ministry
by Maurice Mitchell, Best- Case Scenario

Don’t miss these very practical insights and recommendations from seasoned organizer and coalition-builder, Maurice Mitchell: “Many of my friends and colleagues are rightfully worried about conflict as we head into a contentious election season. Conflict between organizers and voters, between residents deciding on which candidate to choose. Even between organizers about the right way to create change…Conflict is a part of life. It happens with friends, family members, coworkers and coalitions. It pushes us to justify our beliefs and question our underlying assumptions about others. Conflict can be generative — as long as it doesn’t lead to the fragmentation of relationships or, as I call it, “rupture.” If a conflict is causing pre-existing relationships to crumble, it’s time to step back and consider what caused the rupture in the first place.”

We Have Decades of Research Telling Us How Change Works. We Need To Start Following the Evidence
by Greg Satell, DigitalTonto

This article is chock full of helpful links and resources with four main points about how change works: (1)Transformational ideas come from outside the community and incur resistance; (2) Transformations follow an “S curve” pattern... meaning that innovations take hold slowly amongst a group of enthusiasts, then hit an inflection point at 10%-20% participation, start accelerating exponentially before reaching a saturation point and begins to level off. (3) There is a common and persistent “KAP-gap,” meaning that shifts in knowledge and attitudes do not correlate highly with changes in practice. So, relying on communication campaigns to drive change is not a dependable strategy. (4) Transformational ideas are propagated socially… we know how ideas spread, it is not the mode of communication of even the individual influence of early adopters but the structure of the network that determines how fast and far an idea travels…”We need to think about change as a strategic conflict between the present state and an alternative vision. The truth is that change isn’t about persuasion, but power. To bring about transformation we need to undermine the sources of power that underlie the present state while strengthening the forces that favor a different future.”

Collaboratively imagining the future can bring people closer together in the present
The Conversation

This article gives an overview of the research conducted by Zoe Fowler Brendan and Bo O'Connor from the Imagination and Cognition Lab at the University at Albany, SUNY.

“People who collaboratively imagined a shared future together felt closer and more connected to their partner than those who independently imagined a shared future and those who collaborated on an unrelated task. This finding begins to illustrate how collaborative imagination may support new social relationships, allowing people to forge deeper connections by co-authoring imagined experiences in possible shared futures.”

WATCHING

Counting the Vote
A Firing Line Special with Margaret Hoover, PBS

“In this one-hour documentary, Margaret Hoover embarks on a journey to explore voting systems across the United States. She examines methods to increase voter confidence and sheds light on states that face challenges in their vote count processes as the 2024 election approaches. “Counting the Vote” looks back at two of the most bitterly contested elections in American history—2000 and 2020—and examines subsequent efforts to make the casting and counting of ballots more efficient and inclusive. In “Counting the Vote,” personal stories and expert voices from across the country–including interviews with those currently overseeing elections like Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Democratic Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson–provide a comprehensive understanding of the most powerful tool in American democracy, the threats that could undermine the will of the people, and what it takes to protect the vote count.”

One-on-one with Heather Cox Richardson
Cap Times Idea Fest 2024

Heather Cox Richardson is a Boston College history professor whose daily digital essays (“Letters from an American”) that place current political events into historical context have gained a massive national following. In this keynote Idea Fest session, she talks with fellow historian David Maraniss about the precedents for what we are seeing now in America’s political landscape and where we might be headed.

Ira Chaleff and Max Klau: To Stop a Tyrant
92NY

“Join Ira Chaleff, author of the new To Stop a Tyrant: The Power of Political Followers to Make or Break a Toxic Leader, in conversation with Dr. Max Klau. While the world focuses on leadership, Chaleff knows there are no leaders without followers. His pioneering work on courageous followership is used in hundreds of leadership programs across the world and includes the practice of intelligent disobedience. While the body politic has polarized into antagonistic camps, Chaleff is Chair Emeritus of the non-partisan Congressional Management Foundation. This program is part of the Newmark Civic Life Series - conversations with leading experts exploring pro-democracy efforts at this critical moment in the US and around the world.”

Bridging the Gap: Where Policy Meets Possibility with PolicyLink
The Ask Video Podcast

In this episode, Jasmine Burton sits down with the senior leadership of PolicyLink, CEO Michael McAfee and newly appointed President Ashleigh Gardere, to “talk about policy change: the fine art of convincing the world to stop doing things the hard way.” You don’t want to miss this month’s Stanford Social Innovation Review special series curated by PolicyLink – A Revolution of the Soul, especially Michael and Ashleigh’s description of their Journey to a Consciousness of All, “to renew ourselves and the nation, we must envision and build a shared future so expansive and uncompromising that it becomes irresistible.”

LISTENING TO

Autocracy in America Podcast Series
The Atlantic

“There are authoritarian tactics already at work in the United States. To root them out, you have to know where to look.” This informative podcast series hosted by Anne Applebaum and Peter Pomerantsev, with support by the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University has four episodes already released: (1) Start With a Lie: Undermine truth, spread falsehoods, and prepare the ground for worse; (2) Capture the Courts; (3) Consolidate Power; (4) Join the Kleptocracy.

Can the Local Church Heal Political Division? With Hahrie Han
Good Faith Podcast

“Host Curtis Chang is joined by Dr. Hahrie Han, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University and the Director of the SNF Agora Institute, to explore how evangelical churches relate to racial and political issues. Drawing from her research on a multi-ethnic evangelical church in Cincinnati and insights from Redeeming Babel’s “The After Party” project, Dr. Han reveals how cross-racial relationships within faith communities can help heal racial division and foster deeper belonging. Listeners will discover why facing questions of race and politics head-on, rather than reducing them to political buzzwords, can transform divisive issues into shared experiences that unite communities.” You can also read more about Dr. Han’s new book Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church in this New York Times article.

Bridging The Divide w/ Issie Lapowsky
Says Maybe Podcast, hosted by Alix Dunn

“There are oceans of research papers digging into the various harms of online platforms. Researchers are asking urgent questions such as how hate speech and misinformation has an effect on our information environment, and our democracy. But how does this research find its way to the media, policymakers, advocacy groups, or even tech companies themselves? To help us answer this, Alix is joined this week by Issie Lapowsky, who recently authored Bridging The Divide: Translating Research on Digital Media into Policy and Practice — a report about how research reaches these four groups, and what they do with it. This episode also features John Sands from Knight Foundation, who commissioned this report.”

FOR FUN

In Conversation with John Paul Lederach

Check out this blog article from Humanity United with John Paul Lederach, “internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in the fields of peace studies and conflict transformation, [who] has launched an online archive of his work across nearly four decades of engagement in peacebuilding throughout the world. This living site features content in multiple languages, with options to read, watch and listen to the extensive archive of content. This living site will continue to grow with new material from the past, present, and into the future, where you can: wander through the archives; search to navigate to a particular piece of work; and, discover the field of peacebuilding and conflict transformation.” For those of you who prefer podcasts, you can find a treasure trove of audio interviews with John Paul on his site here.

August has featured renewed energy about the upcoming elections, and we continue to focus on how to prevent election subversion in the US while taking stock of the ways states are strengthening their democratic institutions for the long term. Project 2025 continues to receive needed attention, such as this overview by the Kettering Foundation analyzing it as a Blueprint for Christian Nationalist Regime Change. New studies are helping make sense of Americans’ attitudes during this election year, such as Democracy Fund’s look at How Attitudes about Race and Immigration are Settling and Shifting, and Frameworks’ updated report on how Americans are Thinking about Gender, notably how the use of transphobic language is becoming alarmingly commonplace across party lines as a shorthand to refer to what is wrong with the world today. We appreciated this celebration of the political rise of Indian Americans in the US, and the recognition of the importance of the civil rights movement in realizing those gains.

While many of us are focusing on the elections in the US, we know our pro-democracy organizing will continue long past November. Take a look at this toolkit from the Building Movement Project on The 2024 Elections and Beyond: Fortifying Ourselves, Our Organizations, and Our Ecosystems; and important lessons for funders from Alan Hudson on Ecosystems, Emergence and Social Change. At Horizons, we will continue to engage with the Pillars of Support for Democracy, including case studies of how businesses, faith organizations, unions, professional associations, and veterans/military families are confronting authoritarianism in the US and globally, and recommend this new video from the Leadership Now Project on the business case against authoritarianism.

Looking abroad for inspiration on how citizen participation can help us fight against authoritarianism and political violence, we are also inspired by the acts of community courage in the UK in the face of the recent far right riots. Check out this article in Foreign Affairs about how to prevent the “Spiral of Political Violence in America.” In last month’s newsletter, we announced our new Harnessing Our Power To End Political Violence (HOPE) Guide, and would like to invite those interested to please contact the HOPE PV team about our free training offerings to learn more about how to come together to make political violence backfire.

As summer comes to an end in the US, enjoy these additional resources that Horizons has been reading, watching, and listening to:

READING

Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding
by Thomas Carothers and Brendan Hartnett, Journal of Democracy

“One of the most common explanations of the ongoing wave of global democratic backsliding is that democracies are failing to deliver adequate socioeconomic goods to their citizens, leading voters to forsake democracy and embrace antidemocratic politicians who undermine democracy once elected.” This paper takes a closer look at twelve cases of recent backsliding and finds that backsliding is less a result of democracies failing to deliver than of democracies failing to constrain the predatory political ambitions and methods of certain elected leaders.”

Creating a Pro-Democracy Conservative Agenda
Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE)

Kristen Cambell from PACE recently interviewed Scott Warren from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and Matthew Germer from the R Street Institute about their project to build a pro-democracy agenda among conservatives. They are bringing together diverse conservative voices, including Trump supporters and critics, to find common ground on democratic principles, also highlighting the critical need for authentic, bold conservative leadership to address current challenges in American democracy.

The Pocket Guide for Facing Down a Civil War: Surprising ideas from everyday people who shifted the cycles of violence
by John Paul Lederach

Don’t miss esteemed peacebuilder, academic, and author, John Paul Lederach’s recent Washington Post Op Ed where he shares ideas from his newly released (and free!) Pocket Guide. The Guide addresses the extreme danger of hyper-polarization, how that has led to civil war in many of the places he has worked, and what he has learned from decades in peacebuilding about what can be done now in the US.

We are future ancestors: on authoritarian politics and the deepening of our radical roots
by E Cram, Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz and V Fixmer-Oraiz

“…this essay charts urgent connections among queer/trans/disability frameworks of environmental, climate, and reproductive justice centered around community planning and county level democratic politics. [The authors] reflect on the lessons learned in their local context of Iowa between 2023–2024, during unprecedented legislative control of queer and trans lives and reproductive politics. They argue anti-trans legislation is a form of authoritarianism and political violence, a frame which shifts how organizers might draw connections among issues and energize future struggles.”

WATCHING

Author Discussion on Resistance Movements
National Book Festival, C-SPAN

During August’s National Book Festival in Washington DC, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, author of the new book "Survival Is a Promise" and Tiya Miles, author of "Night Flyer" discussed the lives of abolitionist Harriet Tubman and civil rights icon and poet Audre Lorde. Don’t miss their inspiring conversation and check out these important books.

The Importance of Cultural Values for Meaningful Change
The Common Cause Foundation

The Common Cause Foundation in the UK has recently released this three-minute video “…that demonstrates the need to shift our mainstream cultural values to intrinsic values such as care, equality, creativity and togetherness in order to step up to meet the multiple social and environmental crises we are navigating.” You can also check out their other resources, including a helpful values map and a toolkit full of practical tips on incorporating values into our communications, facilitation, and trainings.

Cultures in the Crossfade
The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, USC

This series explores the concept of the crossfader in DJ mixing as a metaphor for blending differences without erasing them. “By toggling between two music input channels without fully fading out either, the crossfader exemplifies how we can combine and sustain diverse perspectives, fostering connection without diminishing individuality. In this pilot episode, they visit New Orleans, a city deeply rooted in Black culture and the legacies of enslavement, now witnessing the growth of Honduran, Mexican, Palestinian, and Vietnamese communities. This cultural shift prompts new reflections on what it means to be a Southern Black city in an increasingly multicultural and global context.” You can also watch other episodes featuring Lincoln, Nebraska, and Houston, Texas.

Practitioner Mobilization for Democracy Launch
National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD)

ICYMI, you can re-watch the inaugural Practitioner Mobilization for Democracy kick-off event, “marking the beginning of a significant movement aimed at harnessing the unique skills of mediation and facilitation practitioners to foster dialogue, resolve conflicts, and build stronger communities through democratic engagement. As the country navigates significant tensions and societal divisions, this project affirms that the necessary resources are already present... The objective is to mobilize practitioners in dialogue facilitation, community mediation, collaborative communication, and conflict transformation to support the future of democracy.” You can sign up here to find out more and get involved.

LISTENING TO

We The Founders: Building a Shared Democracy
I am Interchange Podcast with Tate Chamberlin

“As we approach 2026, marking the 250^th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we find ourselves at a critical inflection point for democracy. The promise of equity demands that every policy and investment provide a significant, sustained support to those most in need. This support must act as a bridge in creating an equitable economy, fostering an inclusive and compassionate society, and strengthening an accountable democracy…To that end we need a revolution of the soul. In this podcast, Tate hosts Duke University public policy professor Nancy MacLean, PolicyLink CEO Michael McAfee, and RepresentUS CEO Josh Lynn in a discussion of the messy truths about democracy and getting things done.”

Let’s Say a Little Bit More About: Joy in Change Making
Say More with Tulaine Montgomery Podcast

Let’s Say a Little Bit More is a three-part mini-series where Tulaine dives deeper into recurring themes discussed with previous Say More guests. In this first episode, she explores how we can undertake the challenging work as changemakers while also savoring the beauty of relationships, laughter, and joy. Previous podcasts mentioned in this episode include: The Art of Organizing with Marshal Ganz; Nurturing Our Minds, Shaping Our Reality with Krista Tippet; What it Takes to Keep a Democracy Going with Debra Cleaver; Embracing our Multitudes with Jimmie Briggs; and What’s Up With Higher Education in America with Steven Colón.

Stacey Abrams: DEI is in America’s DNA
The Context Podcast

“American history is a story about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Stacey Abrams discusses why Americans should embrace and defend DEI as democratic values. She explains how DEI benefits all Americans, expanding participation in our democracy and access to the American dream.”

FOR FUN

100 days of 100 Actions

Depending on when you’re reading this, there will be a limited number of days left in the countdown to the elections in the US. When many people might be asking “what can I do?” - check out this list of resources that gives everyone an action a day. It’s a fun - and evolving - project to break down the steps to work for democracy and increase civic engagement in 100 easy and scalable actions.

What a month! July started off with our Independence Day in the US, including many civic season celebrations around the country. While we are reeling from the murder of Sonya Massey in Illinois who was fatally shot by a deputy while responding to her 911 call, the shooting of former President Trump brought this long-standing issue of political violence to the forefront of public discourse. We are pleased to be able to release a new Guide on Making Political Violence Backfire this month, together with several partners, described more in the READING section below, and appreciate the ongoing work of partners like Urban Rural Action to help address political violence in communities.

As the year of mega elections continues around the world, we are seeing surprises in France; contested results in Venezuela, and lessons to be learned from citizen movements in Africa. The fast-changing political dynamics in the US picked up speed this month when President Biden stepped down and Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. The abrupt change has spurred questions about the process of choosing a new nominee, as well as reflections on the important role played by political parties during moments of heightened uncertainty.

Horizons continues to be animated by the on-going authoritarian threats to democracy in the US and globally. Don’t miss Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s recent interview with The Guardian on What the Authoritarian Playbook Looks Like; and, congratulations to our partners at the 22^nd Century Initiative on their launch of the Anti-Authoritarianism podcast, with a wonderful first conversation on How We Got Here with Suzanne Pharr. As a part of Horizons’ Pillars of Support project, we recently released 30 "caselets" that you can find here, together with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University exploring the specific tactics and strategies employed by key pillars throughout history and around the world in support of a pro-democracy agenda; notably faith-based organizations, businesses, unions & professional associations, and veterans groups.

Take a listen to the audio recording of Horizons’ Julia Roig and Jarvis Williams’ session at the recent Othering & Belonging Institute conference on "Leaning into Paradox: How We Can Block, Bridge & Build Our Democratic Future Together." And, enjoy the latest in our Sensemaking with Horizons Series, as Jarvis has a conversation with Shun Tucker-Allen, Senior Faith Partnerships Coordinator at Fair Count about her work organizing with faith communities in the South.

As this whirlwind month comes to a close, we invite you to check out some additional resources we’ve been reading, watching, and listening to:

READING

Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE) Guide
by Hardy Merriman

The HOPE guide was written for the 22^nd Century Initiative and the Horizons Project along with allies working to end political violence. “[The guide] is designed to help people across the United States counter political violence. It aims to empower individuals and strengthen communities to make political violence backfire against those who incite, threaten, and enact it. Community response to political violence can both support victims and impose costs on those who incite and engage in abuse. We need to stand up to those who want to silence our voices, who try to deny us our rights, and who aim to bully their way into political influence through intimidation and violence.”

From Waves to Ecosystems: The Next Stage of Democratic Innovation
by Josh Lerner, SNF Ithaca Initiative

“Anti-democratic movements are surging around the world, threatening to undermine elections and replace them with oligarchy…While elections dominate current thinking about democracy, the history and future of democracy is much broader. For over 5,000 years, people have built up competing waves of electoral, direct, deliberative, and participatory democracy. We are now seeing a transition, however, from waves to ecosystems. Rather than seeking one single solution to our ailing democracy, a new generation of democracy reformers is weaving together different democratic practices into balanced democratic ecosystems. This white paper provides a roadmap for this emerging next stage of democratic innovation. It reviews the limitations of elections, the different waves of democratic innovation and efforts to connect them, and key challenges and strategies for building healthy ecosystems of democracy.” You can also watch the launch event of the paper.

Towards a Polycrisis Consciousness
by Mark Gerzon and Mesa Sebree, Mediators Foundation

“This essay explores the nature of the polycrisis and why it requires a different approach for dealing with change…From politicians and philanthropists to activists and ordinary civilians, our way of conceptualizing our struggles must shift to coincide with the unignorable new reality. But what kind of mindset is required? In order to make real steps towards change, [the authors argue] it is critical to first develop holistic ways of thinking:” Think like a mountain range; Retire optimism and pessimism and focus on possibility; Avoid anachronistic – isms altogether; Inner work is not optional but indispensable.

WATCHING

The Brain on Authoritarianism
The Horizons Project & Beyond Conflict

The Horizons Project and Beyond Conflict partnered to create this short video to support broad-based "united front" organizing in response to the rising authoritarian threat in the US and globally. Better understanding the brain's response to fear, toxic othering, and threats to social identity will help pro-democracy organizers to confront the authoritarian playbook and come together across difference to work more effectively towards a multi-racial, pluralistic, inclusive democracy.

A Greater Story of We with Maurice Mitchell
The Othering & Belonging Conference

“Renowned social movement strategist Maurice Mitchell, a visionary leader in the Movement for Black Lives, and now National Director of the Working Families Party, [gave] the closing keynote on new formations and ways of being and working with each other that are needed to confront the current era of rising authoritarianism, climate emergency, toxic inequality, and widespread precarity and fragmentation.” You can watch all the 2024 OBI conference sessions online.

Addressing Questions from Skeptics of Political Depolarization and Bridge-building Work
by Zachary Elwood

Zachary summarizes a talk between Liz Joyner of The Village Square and Melissa Weintraub, the Executive Director of Resetting The Table. “In this talk, Melissa spent some time addressing some common objections…Why bother engaging with people with whom I disagree? Can’t polarization be a good thing? Isn’t polarization necessary for social progress? Are there “red lines” for people we shouldn’t engage with? How do you draw that line? Is what you do “both sides”-ism? Is it promoting a mushy centrism? What’s a concrete example where you’ve seen this kind of bridge-building effort pay off? What did that look like?” You can re-watch the discussion from Facebook Live.

LISTENING TO

adrienne maree brown on Radical Imagination and Moving Towards Life
On Being Podcast

“We’re listening with new ears as [adrienne maree brown] brings together so many of the threads that have recurred in this season of On Being: on looking the harsh complexity of this world full in the face while dancing with joy as life force and fuel and on keeping clear eyes on the reasons for ecological despair while giving oneself over to a loving apprenticeship with the natural world as teacher and guide. A love of visionary science fiction also finds a robust place in her work and this conversation. She altogether shines a light on an emerging ecosystem in our world over and against the drumbeat of what is fractured and breaking — the cultivation of old and new ways of seeing, towards a transformative wholeness of living.”

Grief Is the Medicine with Malkia Devich Cyril
Becoming the People Podcast with Prentis Hemphill

“In this powerful episode, Prentis is joined by transformative grief activist, movement strategist, writer Malkia Devich Cyril. Malkia shares stories and wisdom from their personal experience of loss, the possibility that emerges when we attend to our grief, their insight about how we choose to grieve can determine how we can change the world.”

Leveraging Networks for Democracy with the Leadership Now Project
Systems Catalysts Podcast

“Systems change can happen through networks, but it isn’t as straightforward as organizing a group of people with shared values. When Daniella Ballou-Aares witnessed American democratic values deteriorating, she gathered a group of concerned business and thought leaders to launch the Leadership Now Project.” In this episode Daniella and Anoop Prakash, the Wisconsin Chapter Lead, talk about the power of leveraging networks to protect and renew American democracy.

Otto Scharmer: What Future is Wanting to Emerge Through You?
Sounds True Podcast

“In a bold conversation that speaks directly to both our individual empowerment and the larger societal changes that are becoming increasingly urgent, Tami Simon and Otto Scharmer discuss: the collective sense of depression and disillusion at this time; reframing a fearful cultural narrative to one of hope and possibility; bridging today’s ecological, social, and spiritual divides; ego-system awareness vs. ecosystem awareness; big changes through small steps; the subtle shift of “opening the will”; letting go of what’s not essential; moving from certainties to not knowing…and much more.”

FOR FUN & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Project Tipping Point: A Glossary for the Appreciation of Life
“Within this document are more than 70 words and their meanings from a breadth of languages and cultures, with the common thread being that these words (re)connect us with nature, ourselves, others, and life in general. We hope it brings some joy to your day.”

War Prevention Initiative’s Essay ‘Un-Contest’ on Peaceful Elections
With half of the global population living in countries with national elections this year, we are concerned about the potential for violence before, during, and after these elections. We want to challenge ourselves and potential contributors to ask: How can we ensure that elections are peaceful—that individuals feel safe expressing themselves politically, free from violence and threats of violence? Selected essays (including written, photo, or audio essays, as well as other forms of creative expression addressing this topic that can be published on a website) will be published in the Peace Science Digest. Author(s) will be compensated $300 for their submission. The due date for submissions is August 28, 2024.

During the month of June, we celebrated Pride and also observed Juneteenth. Hear directly about the history from the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal Lee, one of the activists who advocated for this federal holiday. You can read about the need to not “water down” Juneteenth described as “less [of] a celebration and more a wake-up call for the necessity of organizing to prevent the erosion of rights, liberty, and fairness.” We would recommend Harvard’s Kennedy School new study on Normalizing Reparations: U.S. Precedent, Norms and Models for Compensating Harms and Implications for Reparations to Black Americans; and you can learn about the specific experiences of the New Jersey Reparations Council as they observed Juneteenth by reflecting on the past year. This month Ms. magazine extolled readers, “Let’s All See Ourselves in Black Women,” and affirms that “it is by centering Black women that we get to meet the needs of all.”

Horizons continues to prioritize making connections between academics and practitioners and would highlight two recent articles that identify important researchers and include summaries of their work: Political Scientists Want to Know Why We Hate One Another This Much; and, The Behavioral Scientists Working Toward a More Peaceful World. You also may be interested in recent insights on how AI could change democracy.

Please check out two recent articles from Chief Organizer, Maria Stephan on making political violence backfire and the important role of faith leaders in standing up to the authoritarian playbook. And finally, you don’t want to miss this recent episode of the Laura Flanders Show that features Maria together with our colleagues at 22^nd Century Initiative and Vision Change Win, discussing political violence and ways communities can come together to organize against it.

Happy summer to those in the northern hemisphere, and enjoy these additional resources we’ve been reading, watching, and listening to this past month:

READING

A System Within: Addressing the Inner Dimensions of Sustainability and Systems Transformation
The Club of Rome

“This deep-dive paper aims to complement Earth for All by highlighting the overlooked inner dimension of system change, and supplying systems thinkers with the language to advocate for psychological, social and spiritual factors crucial to sustainable solutions. It discusses worldviews, mindsets, values and identity as root drivers of cultural behaviour, their interaction with psychological and behavioural tendencies, and the transformative inner capacities that can be cultivated to intervene at deep leverage points; and introduces existing initiatives leading the way in integrating inner and outer dimensions of system change.”

Here’s Why the News Didn’t Tell You What Protesters Really Wanted
by Douglas M. McLeod, Scientific American

A “protest paradigm” identified by news researchers four decades ago helps explain why protest coverage often fails to inform the public and limits the impact of the protests…numerous studies examining coverage of social protests—including both left-wing and right-wing protests, as well as a wide range of issue protests—have isolated common characteristics of relevant news stories, [including] focusing on protest events rather than protest issues, positioning protests as contests between protesters and the police rather than their intended targets, and privileging officialdom’s views of the protests rather than a more diverse array of informed perspectives. The paradigm also disparages protests by highlighting any rudeness, noise or legal violations by some protesters; marginalizes protesters as being different from normal citizens; [and finally] minimizes the effectiveness of the protest.”

Understanding Youth Perceptions Towards Authoritarianism
by Meryl Miner and Scott Warren

“In this mega-election year, it's becoming increasingly evident that young people are frustrated with the form of democracy they're experiencing. This is an active conversation in polling in a US context- but it's a global phenomenon, and worth understanding whether this frustration turns into flirtation with authoritarianism itself. [This] report uses new polling and qualitative interviews with young people across the world, including members of Generation Democracy and Democracy Moves to explore whether youth are actually becoming more inclined to look toward autocratic leaders to provide results.”

On Relational Infrastructure
by Sam Rye, Network Weaver

“Relational infrastructure refers to the social connections, interactions, and collective intelligence that underpin a community, network or group’s ability to collaborate, solve problems, and drive change. It is an emergent framework of trust, shared values, and common goals that allows individuals, groups, and organizations to work together effectively, pool their resources, and amplify their impact. A strong relational infrastructure can enable organisations and communities to overcome challenges, build resilience, and create sustainable social, economic, and environmental value and outcomes.”

WATCHING

Rev. James Lawson: Gandhi & Nonviolence
International Center for Nonviolent Conflict

This month, we lost a giant in the field of nonviolence and one of the architects of the U.S. civil rights movement. To honor the Rev. James Lawson, we recommend watching these short remarks he delivered in 2009: "I've come to the conclusion... that life itself is powerful and that the gift of life is a gift of power. And the big issue is, do we help shape our children, our babies, to use that power destructively or to use that life power that they have from day one in ways that enlarges them, that gives them a sense of freedom, enables them to make good choices.... Philosophically, I like to say that nonviolence is the power of creation that is planted in us human beings uniquely."

Hospicing Modernity & Rehabilitating Humanity
The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

“In this episode, Vanessa Andreotti discusses what she calls “hospicing modernity…” Whether you refer to it as the metacrisis or the polycrisis, Vanessa brings a unique framing rooted in indigenous knowledge and relationality to aid in understanding, grieving, and building emotional resilience. What does it mean to live and work within systems that are designed to fail? How do we as individuals steady ourselves and create inner strength before engaging with such harrowing work?” Vanessa is the author of Hospicing Modernity: Facing humanity’s wrongs and the implications for social activism and one of the founders of the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures Arts/Research Collective.

Does Deliberative Democracy Stand a Chance in Neoliberal Times?
University of Canberra, Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance

This recording is part 4 of a 10-part conversation series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy. Professor John Dryzek, author of ‘Democracy in Capitalist Times: Ideals, Limits, and Struggles’ discusses whether deliberative democracy stands a chance in neoliberal times, and Professor Oliver Escobar argues that it does not stand a chance unless we think critically about the type of deliberative democracies we develop and how we approach current levers of power.

Cultivating Hope - Supporting Changemaker Wellbeing
The Wellbeing Project

This series of conversations is hosted by Rohini Nilekani with leading philanthropists, starting with this short teaser with Melinda French Gates. The series will be exploring the pressing funding gap for changemakers’ access to wellbeing resources and how it is holding back progress both now and for future generations. Check out the curated list of resources the Wellbeing Project has developed and what “you can do for you and for the people you care about.”

LISTENING TO

What it Takes to Heal
Becoming the People podcast

“In Becoming the People’s inaugural episode, Prentis Hemphill, co-founder of the Embodiment Institute is joined by their dear friend adrienne maree brown. adrienne interviews Prentis about their book, ‘What it Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World.’ These two friends discuss Prentis’ journey of writing this book, the role that transformational characters play in change work, and why we should prioritize healing in this painful moment of history.”

Disruptive Movements with Frances Fox Pivens
Practical Radicals podcast

You can listen to all eleven episodes of this podcast series that accompanies the book, Practical Radicals: Seven Strategies to Change the World. Horizons would highlight this episode, that explores the strategy of disruption with one of its leading theorists and practitioners, the scholar and activist Frances Fox Piven. The conversation starts by distinguishing protest from disruption, two types of action that are often confused. They consider famous instances of disruption, like the mass actions on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation that blocked the Dakota Access Pipeline, and lesser-known ones, like the 1975 “Women’s Day Off” that helped win equal rights for women in Iceland. The conversation covers the potential for using disruptive power today, the ways that too much organization can stifle movements, and the essential role of exuberance in movement politics.

Building Solidarity in an Era of Silos
Solidarity Is This podcast

“Fractures are widening. In an age of increasing polarization and division, how can we build bridges across lines of difference and strengthen solidarity? What strategies do we need to sustain connections across the growing chasms of ideology, experience, power, and privilege?” This special episode is a lightly edited recording of the State of Solidarity in April 2024 featuring Adaku Utah in conversation with Darakshan Raja, Muslims for Just Futures; Woods Ervin, Critical Resistance; Xochitl Bervera, Near Futures Farms; Rachael Lorenzo, Indigenous Women Rising; and Yvonne Yen Liu, Solidarity Research Center.

FOR INSPIRATION

What Gives You Hope Right Now?
The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance

Ever since the Interfaith Alliance President & CEO, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, started hosting The State of Belief, he's made a point of asking virtually every one of his guests this one question: “What gives you hope right now?” Here's what gives Dr. Anthea Butler, Sharon Salzberg, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Race Forward's Eric Ward, Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Rob Reiner, Sushma Dwivedi, Tim Alberta, Rabbi Sharon Brous, Rainn Wilson, and Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. hope.

As May comes to a close, the world has been mourning the recent civilian deaths in Rafah, and the US has been grappling with the many student protest movements on college campuses around the country in the face of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. You can learn more about how these campus protests fit within the larger movement from Harvard University’s Crowd Counting Consortium; and read about the nuance of the specific words that are being used by protesters and counter-protesters. There are lessons to be learned from the colleges that successfully reached an agreement with the protesters; and, these insights from a professor of peacebuilding and conflict transformation at Columbia University. And don’t miss this historic overview of the role that campus protests have played in the US.

Eric Ward from Race Forward gave an interview that you can watch here on the worrying new fault lines in the US civil rights community, “with people taking ‘sides’ and judging others for their positions, rather than focusing on Middle East crisis solutions.” And if you want to hear directly from grassroots leaders in the region, check out the many resources from Just Vision.

Issues of repair continue to animate discussions within many organizing spaces, including this reflection on Building a Reparative Organization and Nation and this inspiring interview with Heather McGhee on helping people make meaning in this moment, and the need for reparations as “seed capital for the nation we are becoming.” There are also on-going conversations about how to design the future of our democracy, such as this overview of the Democracy Makers at the recent Futures Happening conference of the Stanford design school. You can also learn more about the tools of becoming better ancestors from this recent report by the School of International Futures - Future Designs. Speaking of the future, Choose Democracy recently released an interactive, virtual on-line scenario planning tool What if Trump (or Biden) Wins? we recommend you check out.

Finally, as we go into the Pride celebrations next month, we invite you to read up on the relationship between authoritarianism and anti-LGBTQ violence, including this excellent resource by Over Zero on Decoding LGBTQ Scapegoating. We have many lessons to learn from these dynamics and others of closing civic space in the US and around the world, and you can re-watch Horizons’ Chief Organizer, Maria Stephan’s recent remarks at the Kettering Foundation’s virtual event on Recognizing and Countering Global Authoritarian Trends.

We hope you enjoy some of the other resources we have been reading, watching, and listening to this month:

READING

Don’t Believe What They’re Telling You About Misinformation
by Manvir Singh, The New Yorker

This article provides a lot of food for thought if you work on dis/misinformation, or other aspects of deep narrative. “…many beliefs are not best interpreted as factual ones…a major driver is group identity. Beliefs often function as badges: the stranger and more unsubstantiated the better…. “symbolic beliefs” are socially strategic expressions - signaling group identity. Our minds are maintaining two representations of reality: there’s one that feels true and that we publicly advocate, and there’s another that we use to effectively interact with the world. By declaring that the problem consists of “irresponsible senders and gullible receivers,” [we] risk ignoring the social pathologies that cause people to become disenchanted and motivate them to rally around strange new creeds.”

Love is the Key to Democracy
by Michael McAfee, Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR)

“It’s within our power to make these futures a reality and to build a country where “We, the People” truly includes all people—but only if we do the work of transformative love. It is our generational work to perfect this democracy and realize this ideal. The journey begins with critical self-reflection: Where am I not loving the people enough? Where can I be part of the disruption necessary to transform this country as we know it? How can I be receptive to accountability? How can I transform the institution I’m part of to cultivate this possibility? Through this work of transformative love, we can build a nation that serves all for the first time. As that practice of love expands outward, we will begin to see the fruits of such a journey in a flourishing democracy that works for all.” This article is a part of a new series from SSIR in partnership with PolicyLink on Realizing a Multiracial Democracy For All. You can check out the other articles in the series here.

The Holistic Paradigm as Democracy's Evolutionary Frontier (part 1)
by Andy Paice

This long read, divided into two parts, is worth your time. In part one the reflection is on “our dominant cultural paradigm and its destructive consequences; the fact that there’s an emerging, more holistic worldview that is more aligned with reality and therefore more able to address humanity’s crises; the state of democracy in 2024 and a burgeoning field of democratic innovation; and the indications that this field belongs to a new holistic cultural paradigm.” Part two delves into: “future developments that might be needed for governance and collective decision making to embrace these deeper realities; and, the projects [of] the Co-Intelligence Institute to help catalyse a cultural shift.”

WATCHING

adrienne maree brown on Instagram

We are big fans of adrienne maree brown at Horizons and this short Instagram video (their love note from their living room on May Day) is a very powerful message - reminding everyone to continuously take responsibility for your own contribution to liberation. Do you find yourself feeling judgmental about the way other people are working for change? “there’s enough problem to go around, be solution material. what am i willing and able to risk? who are my people? the sweet spot is: what my community needs x what i enjoy doing well x what am i skilled at?”

Democracy Lab: Lessons in Exercising Your Voice
TED-Ed

“Healthy democracies rely on informed citizens. Quality civics education is the bedrock of a healthy democratic society. Through curated content and supporting lesson materials, Democracy Lab lays out the building blocks of a healthy democracy, while explaining the challenges it can face, the solutions we must explore, and the exciting initiatives already helping strengthen democratic principles around the world.” Check out this fun series of videos that were developed in consultation with a group of young civic innovators together with Civics Unplugged Fellows and the Citizen University Youth Collaboratory.

Principles First: Our Obligation
Principles First

Horizons knows from research that the most successful pro-democracy movements are cross-ideological, and we support the organizing that is taking place amongst pro-democracy conservatives. “In 2019, principled Americans on the right and center-right who were concerned about the health of American democracy organized a series of meet-ups around the country to serve as an alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference. Today, that movement has grown into Principles First - a nationwide grassroots movement of people who share a love of American democracy and concern for the direction of our existing conservative leadership. [They] convene local chapters to effect change at the community level…and elevate principled leaders around the country.” This short video overviews their recent 2024 Annual Summit.

LISTENING TO

Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life
PolicyLink’s Podcast Series

“In the struggle to build a more perfect union, there is a through line from resistance to creation, from rebellion to invention.” - Angela Glover Blackwell. You don’t want to miss this new podcast series: “Democracy isn't dead. It just needs to be reimagined so that all of us can flourish. To think big, we're going to have to go granular to the city level - and that city is LA. We will look at how Los Angeles is striving to be a multiracial democracy and what lessons we can apply to the rest of the nation. [This] podcast aims to infuse some hope into one of the founding principles of the United States.”

Resourcing Narrative Ecosystems
What Donors Want podcast

Mandy Van Deven and Jody Myrum dive into what a narrative ecosystem is and why it’s important; how philanthropy can effectively support narratives of liberations; and, the case for supporting narrative ecosystems and what is at stake. There are many brilliant lessons shared and also a lot of great resources in the notes section if you want to dig into the topic of narratives more.

The Art of Organizing with Marshall Ganz
Say More with Tulaine Montgomery Podcast

“Organizing people seems easier in the digital age, right? Just send out a blast email or create a Facebook group. [Tulaine’s guest], Marshall Ganz, believes to achieve real social change, we need to do much more than that. For him, the art of organizing involves sharing our unique stories and connecting at a unifying, human level.”

FOR FUN

Introducing: Poems as Teachers
Poetry Unbound Podcast Series

Check out this beautiful series of poems that can teach us to move differently in the world. “Host Pádraig Ó Tuama gives an overview of this Poetry Unbound mini season that's devoted to poems with wisdom to offer about conflict and humanity. He also brings us Wisława Szymborska’s “A Word on Statistics,” which covers statistics of the most human kind — like the number of people in a group of 100 who think they know better, who can admire without envy, or who could do terrible things. Listen, and ask yourself: Which categories do I belong to? Which do I believe?”

During the month of April, the Horizons team has been inspired by all the analysis and resources being put out to support effective movement building. Check out this research by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on the importance of pro-democracy movements crossing ideological divides to challenge illiberal leaders who continue to degrade democracy around the world. You can read guidance like this one from Forward Together on making movements irresistible through (healthy) partnerships with artists; the particular role that women are playing within pro-democracy movement building in the United States; recommendations for intermediary funds that come from movements to help philanthropy reduce barriers to funding movements directly; and, don’t miss this important report about the relationship between movement building and philanthropic spaces, dealing with uncertainty and the value of having uncomfortable conversations. Also, the Feminist Peace Summit is kicking off in May and registration is open!

At Horizons, we continue to reflect on the relationship between Race and Democracy, and appreciated this recent piece on the fact that a multiracial democracy in the United States requires racial repair. Check out our second Sensemaking with Horizons Video interview with Jeanine Abrams McLean, the President of Fair Count probing the distinctions between “pro-democracy” work and/or “racial justice” work. And you can re-watch Chief Organizer, Maria Stephan’s presentation on the critical struggle for multi-racial democracy in the US and globally at a recent Forum at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church.

Please enjoy some of the other resources we’ve been reading, watching, and listening to in April:

READING

Calling People Forward Instead of Out: Ten Essential Steps
by Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski

“Calling forward is a model of communication that [the authors] coined several years ago that flips the idea of “calling out” and “calling in” on its head, turning it into something more effective for bringing people together and ending racism. While “calling out” or “calling in” is fighting against what someone did wrong, calling forward is an invitation to be something greater. While calling out/in is fighting against what we hate, calling forward is building upon what we love. Calling forward is inviting people into a greater state of integration and evolution. Calling forward opens the door to real transformation, and we’ve found that the outcome—although not always immediate—is often surprising… Use the “Ten Essential Steps to Calling Forward” the next time you need to have a difficult conversation—specifically, when you want to address someone having contributed to the perpetuation of prejudice, discrimination, racism, or othering. Stand in the center of what you believe: that racism can and will end, and that you yourself have the power to end it. Calling forward is a skill we all have the capacity to learn. It starts with you.”

Communication is Sacred by Nora Bateson: Why change happens in the spaces between us
by Alexander Beiner and Nora Bateson

“How do you think about change if not in linear strategies? You tend to the relationships…The trap of trying to confront fascism is that it grows stronger with polarity, and the problem with not confronting fascism is that it grows stronger when it is not met with resistance. So, what can be done? Rallying against a group that believes themselves to be superior further ignites a sense of righteousness to their polarity. But without counteraction the momentum of the hateful cause grows deeper and wider into communities, demanding more loyalty, and more exclusion. Most attempts to stop fascism seem only to generate it…when any aspect of a living system is torn from its contextual relationships, it can then be exploited. How a description is made of a person, a family, a community, a culture, or an ecosystem –matters. Does the description hold the complexity, or does the description sever the relational connections? The more relational, contextual understanding there is, the less likely polarities are to take over.” 

Ministry of Imagination
by Rob Hopkins (Harvested from guests from the From What If to What’s Next podcast.)

“The rise of the far-right around the world is profoundly troubling, underpinned as it is by dystopian visions of the future and the need for ‘strong’ leaders to protect us from those futures. But what would a Manifesto look like that was based on a positive vision of the future, one that is appropriately ambitious to the scale of the challenges the world is facing while at the same time bold, imaginative and audacious? …. the failure of [movements] to set out bold visions of the future has left the space for the far right to fill, and that getting better at bringing positive futures alive in people’s imaginations is vital.” You can download the Manifesto here.

WATCHING

The Politics of Disavowal: What Syria Can Tell Us about American Authoritarianism
The Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University

“Can the survival of Bashar al-Asad's regime in Syria offer insights into emerging forms of authoritarianism in the West? And what might the Syrian example suggest about how authoritarian leaders exploit digital media to create uncertainty, political impasses, and fractures among their citizens? In this Crown Seminar, Lisa Wedeen, in conversation with Daniel Neep, draws on the findings of her book, "Authoritarian Apprehensions: Ideology, Judgment, and Mourning in Syria," to reflect on lessons from the Syrian experience for the current attractions of authoritarianism in the United States.

Mapping the Future. The Role of Art in Social Change
The Skoll World Forum

“Art is a powerful tool for social change. It can challenge norms, foster empathy, and even spark movements. [During this session at the recent Skoll World Forum, the panel] explored how art can also serve as a wayfinding tool to unveil challenges, reflect progress, and chart a course toward a collective future we may not have envisioned yet. Whether you’re an artist or simply looking to expand your tool kit toward social change, check out this visually rich session to immerse yourself in the role art plays in mapping the future, navigating complex challenges, and driving social change.” You can watch all of the great sessions from the 2024 Skoll World Forum that are now available on their YouTube channel.

Disarming disinformation: how leading international editors are responding to information pollution
International Journalism Festival

You can re-watch this panel discussion that presents important insights from the new global research project Disarming Disinformation, the result of researchers embedded in multiple international newsrooms to study their responses to information pollution in the context of looming elections. “2024 is recognised as [a] pivotal year for democracy in dozens of countries and the function of independent journalism in securing and popularising facts, and scrutinsing elections, is pivotal…The Disarming Disinformation project is studying editorial responses to disinformation anchored in five countries: the US, the Philippines, Brazil, South Africa and Georgia. Lead researcher Julie Posetti is joined by four editors participating in the project to discuss their insights and experiences, among them is Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa, who has warned that "In 2024, democracy could fall off a cliff." Organized in association with the International Center for Journalists.

LISTENING TO

Our Story of Nature, From Rupture to Reconnection
Outrage + Optimism podcast

As we celebrated Earth Day this month, enjoy this unedited conversation with award-winning Krista Tippett, host of On Being. “Take a moment to relax and immerse yourself in this expansive and inspiring dialogue. Krista opens up about her personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences with nature, offering a fresh perspective that's sure to leave a lasting impact. Get ready to see the natural world in a whole new light after tuning in.”

Polarisation, Political Violence and the U.S. Elections
Ripple Effect podcast by the International Crisis Group

“In this episode [Rachel Kleinfeld], senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, talks about the state of U.S. democracy and the risk of political violence as the U.S. heads toward the November elections. During the conversation, they break down how we should understand polarization in U.S. society. [They] assess the potential risk factors that could contribute to political violence in the run-up and aftermath of the November elections and how they compare to the 2020 elections…They also talk about what politicians on both sides of the aisle can do to mitigate the risk of political violence in the near term.” You can also read a new article from Rachel on Democratization and De-escalation here.

Can “The Commons” Bring Philanthropy Together?
Keeping PACE with Kristen podcast

Kristen Cambell interviews Drew Lindsay of The Chronicle of Philanthropy about the launch of The Commons, a digital space to explore how America’s nonprofits and foundations are working to heal the nation’s divides and build community. They are “looking at how the country is splintered along political lines but also by income, race, geography, culture, and more — division that can threaten progress and even the nation’s stability. The new project is named The Commons to reflect their goal to create a home where people come together to learn, share ideas, and gain new perspective.”

POP CULTURE CORNER

Civil War is Coming to America
by Kristen Grimm

Have you seen the new movie Civil War by writer/director Alex Garland? Check out this article by Kristen at Spitfire Strategies. “…see it for yourself so that when you are talking about it, you know what you are talking about. Mind you, many of the people you may talk about this with may or may not have done the same, relying on social media posts to fuel their opinions.” Kristen offers some very helpful advice about how to engage with this movie and shape the conversation it spurs. Most importantly she recommends offering concrete actions to avoid this future reality with some links to organizations and resources.

In March, we celebrate the “radical roots” of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month in the US. Many are reflecting that 2024 is a big year for women and democracy around the world, and find inspiration in the stories and lessons of women mobilizing within democracy movements globally. It’s important to make the linkages between anti-feminism and anti-democratic developments as outlined in this new report on Strongmen and Violence. We appreciate this School of International Futures’ honoring of the archetypal heroine’s journey both in the past and those blazing a new future. And, don’t miss the recently released Feminist Influencing Basket of Resources from Oxfam that offers practical tools based in radical healing, love, and care to shift dominant narratives and strengthen our movements. If you didn’t get to attend in person or virtually, you can watch Maria J. Stephan, Horizons’ Chief Organizer’s recent presentation at MWEG’s (Mormon Women for Ethical Government) national conference on Women Power: How Nonviolent Action Can Build Just and Peaceful Democracies.

We continue to be inspired by organizations like Keseb helping us learn from global pro-democracy champions, especially when US organizers and their counterparts come together to reflect on shared challenges such as this great overview of key insights from Hungary. Recognizing why the far right in the US is drawn to anti-democratic leaders like Viktor Orban is important, and as Rachel Kleinfeld recently wrote, we must continue to connect the dots on how and why civic space is closing in the US and around the world. Horizons believes it’s also important to draw lessons from the past, for example successful efforts to fight Nazi disinformation campaigns in the UK as we continue to struggle with the information environment described by Secretary Blinken in his remarks at the third Summit for Democracy in South Korea this month.

Finally, Horizons continues to be seized with the dampening effects of threats and political violence on US democracy in this election cycle and beyond, and we are collaborating closely with the 22^nd Century Initiative, Hardy Merriman, and many other partners to develop a training program focused on how communities can mobilize and make threats of PV backfire against perpetrators. (Congratulations to 22CI on their new website which is choc-full of wonderful resources that you should check out). Using threats and intimidation tactics is a key part of the Authoritarian Playbook, so you don’t want to miss the Violence and Democracy Impact Tracker from Protect Democracy and the SNF Agora Institute that calculates the impact of political violence on eight distinct pillars of democracy in the United States. Also, check out the American Autocracy Threat Tracker from Just Security.

Finally, you can hear more from us in this short video about why Horizons created a new Director role for Race and Democracy; read our recent publication on the need to Defend Democracy by Expanding the Agenda; and check out Maria’s article in Sojourners magazine that is now cross-posted on our website, Can Multiracial Democracy Survive?

Enjoy these additional resources that we are reading, watching, and listening to:

READING

Collective Healing for Systems Change: The Evolving Conversation
by Kerry Graham, Collective Change Lab

In 2023, the Collective Change Lab and the Wellbeing Project co-hosted a series of webinars on trauma healing and systems change. Renowned social change leaders shared their perspectives on: Why we as a sector need to integrate a trauma-lens into how we see and interpret the “conditions holding problems in place" as well as how we design solutions; why it’s important to shift the current focus on individual trauma to a much wider frame that takes intergenerational, collective, and historical trauma into account; and, how to integrate collective healing practices into the work of systems change. Regarding intergenerational trauma in particular, this older video from Dr. Joy Degruy on Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome is worth taking the time to watch.

Democracy Notes
by Gabriel Lerner

If you haven’t already signed up for the Democracy Notes Substack, you are missing out! Special friend to Horizons, Gabriel Lerner, is curating many helpful resources, including these podcast interviews that offer a summary of recent events such as: a Principles First Summit recap with Scott Warren from SNF Agora Institute and Matt Germer from R Street; a Knight Media Forum recap with Elizabeth Green from Votebeat & Chalkbeat; and S. Mitra Kalita from URL Media; and, a Civic Learning Week recap with Elizabeth Clay Roy from Generation Citizen and Abbie Kaplan from iCivics.

Why Spain is Trusting Trans Teens on their Gender, instead of Restricting Them
by Domique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor has been organizing its coverage of global issues according to values, such as trust, hope, and security amongst many others. This article is just one example of their special project on Rebuilding Trust. “Behind every news event are the values that drive people and nations. See how they offer a deeper, clearer understanding of the latest stories, or sort through all our stories by the different values beneath them.” Some of insights raised within this article about Spain: “It’s not that we parents are extra progressive parents who like these things….no, we are normal moms and dads and we want our son to be a son and our daughter to be a daughter. But more than that, we have to be loving people to our children and love has to be above all else.”

The (Identity) Politics of Reparations
by Trevor Smith

Creating lasting and durable change to realize reparations will rely on ‘situating social identity formation as a north star of our strategies’…Just as people identifying as “abolitionists” helped abolish slavery, it will take a critical mass of “reparationists” to achieve reparations. According to David Ragland, co-founder and co-executive director of The Truth Telling Project, there is a difference between what it looks like to show up as a Black reparationist versus a non-Black reparationist. ‘We walk through the world differently and with different levels of threat depending on where we are,’ says Ragland…a power analysis and a deep understanding of how we’ve arrived at this point of racial inequality and racial hierarchy will be crucial in the upcoming years to grow the movement for reparations…true liberation lies in living our lives through these frameworks.” 

WATCHING

What Young Leaders Want - and Don’t Want - from Older Allies
by Cogenerate (formerly Encore.org)

In this short video, you can hear directly from participants who engaged in deep conversations across generational lines to inform the recently launched report: What Young Leaders Want – and Don’t Want – from Older Allies. Some of the key highlights include a reminder that we must forge a personal connection before collaboration; that no one wants to be dismissed because of their age; and that the future of leadership is co-generational! If you’d like to hear more from these impressive young leaders, you can watch the report’s launch webinar here.

Conservative Views on Trump 2.0
Firing Line with Margaret Hoover on PBS

In this live forum, Margaret Hoover sits down with Protect Democracy’s Amanda Carpenter, one of the authors of The Authoritarian Playbook for 2025, and the Heritage Foundation’s Mike Gonzalez, one of the contributors to Project 2025. From Protect Democracy’s newsletter, If You Can Keep It, “Two telling insights from the conversation: (1) The “deep state” myth is pervasive. The conceit behind Heritage’s program is that Trump’s first-term agenda was stymied by unelected civil servants (not the rule of law and high-profile Republican appointees, like John Kelly and Mike Pence, who refused to break laws on Trump’s behalf). This feeds into a second, even more dangerous myth that our institutions survived a first term — why would a second be different? Well, the answer is pretty simple: people. The people who put their constitutional oaths before Trump’s orders last time won’t be around next time. Because the Republican Party no longer has room for principled conservatives - who are unwilling to pursue power at any cost.” 

The Indigenous World View | Four Arrows
Entangled World

Four Arrows also known as Wahinkpe Topa or Dr. Don Trent Jacobs is internationally respected for his expertise in Indigeneity and a prolific author, such as his most recent book co-written with Dr. Darcia Narvaez, Restoring the Kinship Worldview: 28 Precepts for Rebalancing Life on Mother Earth. In this episode, Four Arrows explores the Indigenous worldview, non-duality, and origin stories and myths. They talk about anthropocentrism, this idea that humans sit atop the pyramid of life and that everything else on Earth is inferior to and here for humans to use and then discard as they see fit – reflecting that this human-centric worldview lies at the root of our entangled crises and exploring some untraditional ways that worldviews and ultimately culture, might shift.

LISTENING TO

Exploring the Intersection of Information Integrity, Race, and US Elections
The Sunday Show, Tech Policy Press

At INFORMED 2024, the Knight Foundation brought together experts from policy, academia, and civil society for a series of conversations on democracy in the digital age. All the sessions are available for playback here. This conversation on the intersection of information integrity, race, and US elections was also reprised as a podcast that we highly recommend, with Brandi Collins-Dexter, the author of Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future; Dr. Danielle Brown, the founding director of the LIFT project, which is focused on mapping, networking and resourcing, trusted messengers to dismantle mis- and disinformation narratives that circulate in Black communities and about Black communities and Kathryn Peters one of the co-founders of Democracy Works.

Surprising New Findings on Civic Language, Featuring Amy McIsaac
Keeping PACE with Kristen podcast

“In this episode, Amy McIsaac, Managing Director of Learning and Experimentation at Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) talks about new findings from the Civic Language Perception Project, PACE's long-term study surveying Americans on their perceptions of civic terms. Amy shares what is most surprising from the findings, including the terms that are bringing Americans together and motivating them to action. You can read a brief overview of the findings here; re-watch the report’s launch webinar here; and sign up for some upcoming deep dives into the research on different topics, such as “patriotism” and insights about GenZ.

What Makes Solidarity So Essential and How Could it Become Even More Transformative
The Review of Democracy podcast

Leah Hunt-Hendrix is interviewed about her new book Solidarity. The Past Present, and Future of a World Changing Idea that she co-authored with Astra Taylor. She “describes what makes solidarity so essential to social movements to advance and expand democratic ambitions; explains why philanthropy should be adapted to grassroots movements rather than vice versa; discusses how solidaristic organizing could become more transformative in the future; and reflects on the intellectual historical context of their book.”

Leading Across Great Divides
Masters of Scale podcast

“Just like private companies, many not-for-profit organizations begin when a founder sees a gap in the market and makes something new to fill it. Ian Bassin is a lawyer, former White House counsel and not-for-profit leader who saw a need to better protect and preserve the building blocks of America’s democratic systems, and steer things away from authoritarianism. His organization, Protect Democracy, brings together stakeholders across political divides to develop products, systems and services related to good governance. And Ian’s workforce has been entirely distributed - with employees now in more than 20 states - from the very beginning. Host Jeff Berman draws out Ian’s story of crafting Protect Democracy’s mission alongside its culture. Hear how Ian gained the confidence, political and financial capital to start his work, and how he aligns an all-remote team.”

FOR FUN

Better Together Film Festival

As a part of the 2024 National Week of Conversation, April 15-21, “community spaces across the country will participate in the Better Together Film Festival. Serving as hosting venues for film screenings and follow-up conversations, hundreds of libraries, museums, community centers, churches, colleges, etc. will help bring together diverse groups of people to view films that showcase hopeful stories of bridging divides. Audiences will be invited to engage in facilitated conversations following the screenings. These nonpartisan films were selected for Film Festival because they inspire hope and exemplify how everyday Americans and leaders can find common ground and understanding with each other, despite their differences.” Check out the film titles in the link for more information about each film, including a list of locations where the films will be screened. Register to attend a screening in your community or encourage a local organization to sign up to host a film screening.