Unify America

09/18/2026

08/21/2026

What happens when a city hands a hard decision to 30 of its own residents, chosen at random?

Cambridge, Massachusetts is about to find out. The city is launching a civic assembly to weigh in on ShotSpotter, a surveillance technology that has divided the community for months.

Cities like Lexington, Kentucky and Akron, Ohio have already tried this, and Cambridge Day dug into how it went. People who started out skeptical ended up listening hard to neighbors they'd never otherwise meet, and city leaders got recommendations they could use.

Unify America gets a shout out in the article, but mostly we're just glad to see more communities embracing the idea of civic assemblies.

Read it here: https://www.cambridgeday.com/2026/08/19/civic-assemblies-helped-build-trust/

In the U.S., cities like Akron, Ohio and Lexington, Ky. have had success using them for local issues.

08/14/2026

Two strangers sat down at a civic assembly in Akron. One had spent time in prison. The other was a staunchly conservative woman. By the end, they were friends. Today their families spend time at each other's homes.

That's the kind of moment Michelle Sobel and Morgan Lasher talk about on the latest Culture Stew podcast with Maria Morukian. They also share the story of a rural Utah student who spent an hour hashing out the country's toughest issues with a stranger from Brooklyn, and both enjoyed the conversation.

Plus: conflict entrepreneurs and how they profit from dividing us, why students self-censor, and what a civic concierge does.

Give it a listen: https://msmglobalconsulting.com/rethinking-civic-connection-building-trust-collaboration-across-difference-with-unify-america/

08/10/2026

A lot of colleges have stepped back from civic education. Not because they stopped believing in it, but because they are wary of seeming partisan. But civic learning builds essential skills employers are struggling to find: critical thinking, weighing evidence, and collaborating with different viewpoints.

We’re excited about the opportunity to discuss the values of civic education at featuring four leaders from higher education, community college, civic design, and the employer side:

🔊Michelle Sobel, President, Unify America
🔊Dr. Nia Haydel, VP Institutional Transformation & Scaling, Complete College America
🔊Josh Young, Director, Institute for Civic Engagement & Democracy, Miami Dade College
📣Moderated by Isaac Agbeshie-Noye, Program Director, SHRM Foundation

This session needs your vote to make the program. Thank you for helping us bring this conversation to the stage!

🗳️Vote here: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1784911468027001MYEm

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07/03/2026

Two hundred and fifty years ago this weekend, the country was founded on an idea: that all people are created equal, and that a government should answer to the people it serves.

Ahead of last year's Fourth of July, our founder Harry Nathan Gottlieb shared a reflection he calls the annual Ideals Day Address. In it, he makes the case for thinking of the Fourth as "American Ideals Day," a celebration of the ongoing, unfinished work of living up to those founding ideals, work carried forward by people whose names never made the history books.

We're resharing it this year because on the 250th, it feels more relevant than ever. Give it a read this weekend:

https://www.unifyamerica.org/post/the-unify-america-annual-ideals-day-address

Happy 250th, America.

In his 2025 Ideals Day Address, Harry Nathan Gottlieb reimagines July 4th as “American Ideals Day”—a time to honor the courage of past generations and recommit to the unfinished work of living up to our founding principles. From confronting internal divisions to championing Citizens’ Assembl...

07/02/2026

What happens when you put a room full of Akron neighbors together and hand them one of the city's hardest problems?

That's not a hypothetical. Earlier this year, a group of residents chosen by lottery, and representative of the city itself, gave their time from March to May to Akron's first Civic Assembly. They dug into housing, listened to points of view they don't usually hear, and worked through a dozen community proposals together. What came out the other side wasn't just talk. It was practical, concrete guidance for the future of housing in Akron.

This is what democracy can look like when everyone gets a seat at the table. Watch how it came together:

07/01/2026

The world has gotten very good at removing awkward moments. No more asking a stranger for directions, no more small talk with your friend's dad who answered the landline, no more calling to make your own appointment.

But those small moments of friction were quietly building something important: the ability to work through discomfort with another person in real time. And it's the one skill AI can't automate for you.

The research backs it up. Employers overwhelmingly say working through disagreement productively matters at work. Far fewer think recent grads are ready to do it.

That gap is exactly what Civic Gym was built to close. Across 270+ campuses, students are getting structured practice talking through hard topics with someone who sees the world differently. The goal is to build tolerance for the discomfort that makes harder conversations possible.

Read the full piece, plus five things you can start practicing today:

It’s going to feel awkward. Let it. Lean into that discomfort, get your training reps in, and watch how fast you outpace everyone else in the room.

06/15/2026

On June 24, Unify Akron is joining New America for a virtual conversation about the Akron Civic Assembly.

Here's the idea: everyday residents, chosen randomly by lottery, learned from experts, talked it through together, and reached agreement on nine proposals to address housing in their community. Those recommendations are now in the hands of a resident-led team working to make them real.

In the conversation, you'll hear how the assembly came together with more than 100 local volunteers, what it looked like in practice, and how Akron is building this kind of collaboration into the way the city actually governs. A few delegates will share what the experience was like for them, too.

If you've ever wondered whether people who disagree can still sit down and get something done, this hour is for you.

June 24, 2026 | 1 to 2 PM ET | Virtual

RSVP: http://events.newamerica.org/akronssuperassembly

06/10/2026

What if you spent one hour tonight talking with an American who sees things completely differently than you do?

That's the Unify Challenge for All. Tonight at 8 PM Eastern, we're pairing people one-on-one to discuss 15-20 hot-button issues like gun laws, immigration, and mental health. No debate. No fighting. Just two people, sharing their points of view and maybe finding connection with someone they'd never otherwise meet.

Anyone can join. Register here 👇