"Civility is claiming and caring for one's identity, needs, and beliefs without degrading someone else's in the process."
- Cassandra Dahnke and Tomas Spath, co-founders of the Institute for Civility The Institute for Civility is dedicated to reducing the polarization of our political and legislative processes by facilitating dialogue, teaching respect, and building civility in both the public and private spheres. It is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one’s preconceptions, and teaching others to do the same. Civility is the hard work of staying present even with those with whom we have deep-rooted and fierce disagreements. It is political in the sense that it is a necessary prerequisite for civic action. But it is political, too, in the sense that it is about negotiating interpersonal power such that everyone’s voice is heard, and nobody’s is ignored.
