Reclaiming We: Twenty Everyday Acts to Strengthen the Common Good and Defend Democracy

by Civic Nebraska, Steve Smith (Editor)

Overview

Our country is at a crossroads: One path, fixated on the me, inevitably benefits the powerful and well-connected. But the other path leads to we - a reinvigoration of community, mutual responsibility, faith in our democratic institutions, and limitless civic power. We can only set ourselves on the right path if we act daily on democracy's behalf. In RECLAIMING WE, Civic Nebraska outlines twenty straightforward steps any American can take to co-create a more vibrant, informed, civically healthy democracy. From highlighting the ripple of small acts to the power of mass social movements, RECLAIMING WE serves as an essential guide for engaged democratic citizens on the road ahead.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781736766316
Publisher:	Civic Nebraska
Publication date:	04/27/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	167
File size:	321 KB

About the Author

Founded in Lincoln in 2008, Civic Nebraska creates a more modern and robust democracy for all Nebraskans. Through youth civic leadership, civic health programs, and nonpar- tisan voting rights initiatives, Civic Nebraska builds a com- munity in which Nebraskans of all ages and backgrounds join to take action to strengthen democracy in innovative and meaningful ways. Learn more at CivicNebraska.org.
Steve Smith is an award-winning communicator, author, mentor, and community advocate. He wrote for and edited at newspapers for two decades and also was the University of Nebraska's spokesman and news director from 2009-17. He is currently director of communications for Civic Nebraska. Smith is a national Civic Saturday Fellow with Citizen University and is co-chair of Leadership Lincoln Hot Topics, which gathers community members to wrestle with current issues. He and his family live in Lincoln.

Table of Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Part One: Choose Community

Reclaim We. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Do Small Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Connect with Others. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Give Up the Right to Remain Silent ......17

Conversation Starters: Community . . . . . 22

Part Two: Choose Learning

Be Political . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Read.....................................29

Empty Your Pockets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Argue Like an American . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Supplant the Media Slant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Reject Untruth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Conversation Starters: Learning . . . . . . . . 53 

Part Three: Choose Empowerment

Claim & Spread Civic Power. . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Be a Citizen, Not a Consumer . . . . . . . . . . 63

Focus Your Time, Talent & Treasure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Raise All Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Conversation Starters: Empowerment ..........................76

Part Four: Choose Optimism

Envision a More Perfect Union . . . . . . . . .79

Spread the Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

Be Patriotic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Show Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Fight for Voting Rights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Balance Hope and Conviction.......... 98

Conversation Starters: Optimism. . . . . . 101

Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Further Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105