For nearly 250 years, America has served as a test case for a social experiment that few could have ever conceived of — a constitutional federal republic. However, when one considers our history of massacres, slavery, civil war, and battles waged over voting rights, among other injustices, one can easily find reason to be doubtful of this experiment’s success. Given current levels of political polarization, it can seem naïve to think of America as a “done deal”. But, before we acquiesce to a failed experiment, let’s consider the role of dialogue in shaping our American experiment and how it might be able to help this experiment succeed.

The Democracy Group and Ideos Institute present a panel discussion with Kamy Akhavan, Executive Director of USC’s Center for the Political Future; Richard Davies, renowned journalist; John Gamba, technology entrepreneur, and a participant in the Ideos led dialogue that inspired the documentary, Dialogue Lab: America; and Dr. Carah Ong Whaley, Associate Director for the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement.

A recording and transcripts of this event are available at democracygroup.org.

Host

Through a coalition of organizations, led by Ideos Institute, the National Day of Dialogue is a series of virtual events, social media campaigns, and bridging resources on January 5, 2022. It is also the premiere date for the documentary film, Dialogue Lab: America, launching a powerful movement of empathy and action in pursuit of a better future for our nation.