The events of the past several days have been deeply disturbing wounds to the already troubling era we are witnessing in American history. What happened at the U.S. Capitol has catalyzed many to demand immediate action to protect and repair our democratic institutions that were under assault on Wednesday and have been threatened in ever-evolving ways since our nation’s founding. This action inclination, a key deliberative disposition, is necessary and vital to the future of our society.
Equally as important is a renewed commitment to thoughtful and respectful deliberation about what actions we should indeed take. Such deliberative engagement will help ensure that the change inspired by the events of this week outlives the violent and anti-democratic messages of the insurrectionists who besieged and desecrated the Capitol. And it can serve as a beacon of light in the darkness of polarization that we currently find ourselves in.
Given recent events, the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative is more dedicated than ever to the work of building democracy, one conversation a time. Our society is fragmented and in need of the real, long-term progress on our collective challenges that can be born out of good deliberation. Deliberation that welcomes rather than fears productive disagreement; deliberation that fosters the transformational dispositions of open-mindedness, evidential emphasis, humility, empathy, and generosity.
For those looking for a way to proactively respond to the violence and hyper-partisanship that we witnessed in Washington, DC, the DCI’s Skillbuilder and Bridgebuilder D Teams are great options. If you haven’t already, we highly encourage you to join a D Team, and ask your friends and family to do the same, in order to start building the bridges and skills necessary to heal our republic’s wounds, find our common ground, and take effective, fair, and humane action. But even if you don’t choose to join a D Team, we implore you to find some way to activate your civic voice in the service of our democracy.
The deadline to sign-up for D Teams has been extended to Monday, January 18th. More information about this opportunity is available on the DCI website (including a short video) and forms for new and returning D Team participants can be found on WildcatSync. You can contact dci@davidson.edu with any questions or receive further information.
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