2024 Civil Society Town Hall: Hopes, Fears, and Dreams in a Divided America
The Civil Society Fellowship has the mission of building civil discourse across difference. On October 29 2024, nearly 150 Fellows and leaders gathered across the Aspen Institute community in Washington, DC and online for a Town Hall to model what meaningful, civil dialogue across difference can look like. Leaders left of center and right of center from all walks of life and across the country engaged in an exchange of perspectives and ideas around the greatest challenges facing the United States at this critical moment, a week before the US presidential election.
The mosaic of Fellows and guests includes Indigenous Americans, People of Color (POC), members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, conservatives, progressives, libertarians, socialists, and independents. The town hall allowed folks to really hear from one another on their greatest hopes, dreams, and fears going forward.
We invite you to listen in on these conversations.
Chapters:
0:00 - Hopes, Dreams, and Fears – Opening Video
3:06 - Opening Remarks Nike Irvin, Civil Society Fellowship Managing Director sets the scene for the town hall.
8:01 - Introduction from, Co-Hosts: Civil Society Fellow Isaiah Oliver, President, Community Foundation for Northeast Florida – Jacksonville, FL & Civil Society Fellow Jen Sarver, Principal, Sarver Strategies – Austin, TX
10:15 - Economy and the American Dream: Civil Society Fellows Jorge Lima, Vice President of Immigration & Economic Progress, Stand Together (Washington, DC), Lillian Singh, Senior Vice President, Family Economic Opportunity, Share Our Strength (Washington DC), Caleb Cage, Founder, Arc Dome Strategies, LLC. (Reno, Nevada), and Marlon Peterson, Executive Director, College & Community Fellowship (Brooklyn, NY) on the economy’s role and housing in the U.S. presidential election and what the American Dream truly means
21:03 - Heath Care - a Right or a Privilege?: Civil Society Fellows Isaiah Oliver, President, Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (Jacksonville, FL), Kody Kinsley, Secretary, North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services (Raleigh, NC), Caleb Cage, Founder, Arc Dome Strategies, LLC. (Reno, NV), Andrew Pappas, Partner, Osborn Maledon (Phoenix, AZ), Marlon Peterson, Executive Director, College & Community Fellowship (Brooklyn, NY) on. healthcare including abortion and mental health
32:29 - Immigration and the Border: Civil Society Fellows Yordanos Eyoel, Founder and CEO, Keseb (Malden, MA), Jorge Lima, Vice President of Immigration & Economic Progress, Stand Together (Washington, DC), Andrew Pappas, Partner, Osborn Maledon (Phoenix, AZ), Marlon Peterson, Executive Director, College & Community Fellowship (Brooklyn, NY) on immigration reform, demographic shifts in the US, opportunity, and border control
52:47 - Criminal Legal System: Civil Society Fellows Ryan Zuidema, Chief of Police, Lynchburg Police Department (Lynchburg, VA), Will Snowden, Director, The Juror Project, Assistant Professor of Law (New Orleans, LA), Marlon Peterson, Executive Director, College & Community Fellowship (Brooklyn, NY) on criminal justice, the legal system, public safety, and its interconnectedness to healthcare
1:08:04 - Questions from the Audience
1:22:30 - How do we hold the center in divisive times? Closing Reflections