Civil Squared

04/20/2022

This Wednesday, 7:30 pm PT/10:30 pm ET via Zoom: Two of our favorite people, Joan Blades founder of Living Room Conversations and John Gable founder of AllSides will join Saint Mary's College of California for "Healing our Democracy in a Digital World" — learn more and reserve your digital seat here:

https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/healing-our-democracy-in-a-digital-world-a-nonpartisan-town-hall-discussion

The program is in partnership with The Village Square, Braver Angels, National Institute for Civil Discourse, and League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley. Be there.

02/02/2022

School choice is becoming more and more mainstream in 2022.

It wasn't long ago that "normal" schooling meant public school, understood as some variation on the theme of classes punctuated...

02/01/2022

Many Black entrepreneurs, including celebrities like Pharrell Williams, are getting in on the school choice cultural movement.

This month, Pharrell Williams joined the club of Black celebrities who’ve launched K-12 schools. YELLOWHAB, a new network of private schools in Norfolk, Virginia, will serve lower-income students at no cost. Pharrell’s choice to use his brand, influence, and resources to create private schools w...

01/31/2022

What can we do to improve educational opportunities for all children?

On this episode of the Civil Squared podcast, guest Derrell Bradford, executive vice president of The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now (50CAN) discusses his own educational history and how it was impacted by his zip code.

Education is more than just an issue of policy. It’s a transformative experience that contributes to a flourishing life. That’s the view of our guest this week, Derrell Bradford, executive vice…

01/30/2022

He believes school choice is, fundamentally, racist. What do you think?

School voucher and tax credit programs structure choices to promote de facto segregation, contravene constitutional considerations, and threaten to dismantle hard-fought and socially beneficial historical progress.

01/29/2022

“If we really care about breaking down racist structures and institutions in America, we must also give every child access to a great education of their family’s choice.”

The discourse for defeating systemic racism must include enacting genuine systemic change. Fighting at the margins won’t help. A momentary marketing blitz won’t fix it. We must collapse the...

01/27/2022

From living in poverty and going from one failing school to the next, Denisha thought she was destined to follow in the same steps of so many other black children in her community.

But things dramatically changed when she was given the chance to apply to a school choice program in Florida.

On this episode of the Civil Squared podcast, host Jennifer Thompson is joined by Denisha Merriweather, Director of Public Relations and Content Marketing at the American Federation for Children and Founder of Black Minds Matter. Denisha helps bust the myth that school choice is racist as she shares her deeply personal story about how it changed the trajectory of her life.

Inequalities in the education system affect more than just students’ grades. These inequalities impact every aspect of the lives of many black students attending their government-zoned schools. But…

01/26/2022

School choice changed the trajectory of her life. But there are those who argue that school choice is, fundamentally, racist.

School choice, inequality, and 5 links worth your time

01/18/2022

They surveyed more than 22,000 people in 33 countries about their thoughts on the progress in the fight against Covid, the environment, society, the economy, and alien invasions 👽

A new survey shows that people around the globe are feeling more positive about 2022. Undaunted by COVID-19, climate change and inflation, they expect a better year to come.

01/17/2022

Are we losing our ability to self-govern?

While extreme polarization is on everyone’s mind these days, what if that is just a distraction keeping people from seeing the real problem: that Americans are losing our ability to self-govern. And we don’t even realize it’s happening.

On this episode of the Civil Squared podcast, Tony Woodlief, author of the recent book I, Citizen: A Blueprint for Reclaiming American Self-Governance, discusses political polarization, incentives of the political class, and practical tips for people to make a difference in their communities.

While extreme polarization is on everyone’s mind these days, what if that is just a distraction keeping people from seeing the real problem: that Americans are losing our ability to self-govern. And…

01/16/2022

Building trust often starts with carefully dealing with actions of the past.

On this episode of the Civil Squared podcast, Colleen Murphy, University of Illinois Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law, discusses how transitional justice theory is the process of dealing with widespread wrongdoing and shares several of the key steps of the theory.

The conversation includes background on how transitional justice theory is a practice that has grown outside of the United States in places like Bosnia and Herzegovina and South Africa but presents many opportunities for America to learn from and apply the theory in order for us to move forward on issues of racism and slavery.

The impetus to look forward is an American mode of dealing with ugly truths. It’s part of the optimism of America. But we won’t be able to move forward if we don’t deal with the past in the…

01/15/2022

When you’re trying to help, listening to those in need is the first step.

When it comes to leaving prison, there are two phases: reentry – which is simply leaving prison; and reintegration – which involves a community-wide approach to helping the formerly incarcerated have true mental freedom.

On this episode of the Civil Squared podcast, Tony Kitchens, a board member of Georgia Center for Opportunity shares his personal experience about the “second prison” many formerly incarcerated individuals face while on the outside: a mental prison created on their own.

Tony talks about the work he and others are doing to change the way communities think about prisoner reentry. As he puts it, someone can be successful in prisoner reentry by living under a bridge. Community reintegration, on the other hand, involves a more holistic approach where the individual works within the community to build up their emotional intelligence and undertakes a holistic process of self-edification that can lead to mental freedom. And helping, as Tony shares, starts by listening.

When it comes to leaving prison, there are two phases: reentry – which is simply leaving prison; and reintegration – which involves a community-wide approach to helping the formerly incarcerated have…