How to strengthen civic culture
A hub for inspiration, resources, and events to help catalyze a stronger civic culture across the US.
Defining civic culture • Examples of culture in action • Op-ed writing opportunity
How will we mend what feels so broken in society?
The ways we treat one another, whether we care for our community, how we show up to solve common problems, whether we are able to disagree without hating one another… our civic culture in America is struggling. We the people are struggling. Presidents and elections can poison our civic culture, but they cannot heal it. Only people can do that through our everyday choices.
Fortunately, in all corners of the country, Americans are hard at work strengthening this shared culture. They’re creating gatherings that break down walls and humanize neighbors again. They’re creating habits of service and inspiring the renewed practice of citizenship. They’re helping others believe that their contributions and participation in our democracy matter.
Strengthening our civic culture takes each one of us — parents, CEOs, journalists, comedians, academics, philanthropists, and everyday Americans. How will you be part of the solution?
A DEFINITION
Civic culture
/ˈsivik ˈkəlCHər/
American civic culture is the set of norms, values, narratives, habits, and rituals that shape how we live together and govern ourselves in our diverse democratic society. It is upstream of politics and government — and it extends to all the facets of how we live together as citizens, behave in public, deal with common problems, relate to our neighbors, and identify with one another and our communities and nation.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has published a report called Habits of Heart and Mind: How to Fortify Civic Culture. It explores the what, why, and how of civic culture in America. It’s full of stories and guidance on opportunities to strengthen our nation’s shared civic norms, habits, narratives, and values.
CASE STUDIES
In all corners of the country, catalytic people are shaping the ways we come together as Americans to build stronger civic habits, norms, and narratives.
Featured example: building a culture of mutuality and mutual aid in Atlanta.
Silos? Resource scarcity? Competition? No, not here. Atlanta is choosing a different route: mutual aid, trust, and friendship.
Once a quarter, these civic and community leaders gather with the purpose of offering each other help. A few members of this group present a project, and the rest raise their hands to offer time, connections, and even funding.
“The ATL Civic Collaboratory gave me the biggest single push in one day,” says member Blake Stoner.
MESSAGING GUIDANCE
How do we make a nebulous topic like culture pop into 3-D? What research exists to shape the kinds of civic terms and language we should use?
Dig into our recommendations and see examples with our messaging and storytelling guidance.
Shamichael Hallman knew the library he managed was underutilized as a community space. He set out to transform the library’s traditional quiet atmosphere into a hub of interaction and engagement. The new layout includes an open landscape with public art and a café offering fresh food — and there’s a growing culture of neighbors participating in the setup for events, sharing skills, and welcoming diverse groups into this civic space.
In the Folded Map Project, residents from the Chicago’s North Side and South Side are paired with their “map twin,” the person who has a parallel address on the opposite side of the city. Pairs talk together about their neighborhoods and to have tough conversations about the social, racial, and institutional investments that shaped each community. This effort is making the divisions between places a unifying feature of the Windy City landscape.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City recently transformed its iconic plaza into a living public stage for rituals of civic renewal. They’re encouraging people to dance, love, celebrate, and reclaim what was lost during the isolation and unacknowledged sorrow of the pandemic. In one event, hundreds of community members walked alongside jazz musicians for a New Orleans–style Second Line processional to grieve and to recommit to life.
Explore more stories of civic culture in action through the report, Habits of Heart and Mind.
Uncovering the narratives that invite Americans in is an integral aspect of a healthy civic culture. In America’s ongoing debate over identity, these stories can help citizens shift from inaction to common action.
No matter the election outcome, we remain neighbors and Americans on November 6. What will it take for all to believe that this is possible? Modeling connection across difference is very powerful. The more people hear about it and believe it is happening, the more likely they are to do the same.
What you can do today: write an op-ed that lifts up stories of civic connection and pluralism in a time of division. Your op-ed will be a part of a broader campaign to shift the national narrative of division and polarization. Our friends at Interfaith America and New Pluralists are eager to provide you with messaging guidelines, an op-ed writing training, and other support.
Eric Liu unpacks civic culture, responsibility, and the tenor of the times.
An interview with Aria Florant, National Civic Collaboratory member and Co-founder of Liberation Ventures
Lessons from a community leader on military service, responsibility, and the importance of being seen.
