From dropping off our kids at the library to catching up at the park or gathering at a local community center—civic spaces are where everyday life and democracy meet. They’re where we turn strangers into neighbors, learn what matters locally, organize for change, and exercise our most fundamental rights: to speak freely, to gather, to be seen.

But at a time when our rights to free speech, assembly, and association are being challenged and contested across the country, these spaces are under threat—through disinvestment, restriction, and erasure. In too many neighborhoods, there are fewer and fewer places where people can come together, build trust, and be heard.

What do we lose when civic spaces disappear—and what can we build when we create them?

Join us for Remaking the Commons: Stories of Civic Space, Belonging, and Democracy—a virtual conversation with two leaders working at the frontlines of community life. Together, we’ll explore how civic spaces are being preserved, created, and reimagined—what they offer, what they’re up against, and what people need most right now.

This isn’t a policy debate—it’s a conversation about real places, real people, and the role civic spaces play in building connection, trust, and democratic possibility.

Why You Should Attend: 

At a time when our rights to free speech, assembly, and association are being challenged and contested across the country, these spaces are under threat—through disinvestment, restriction, and erasure. In too many neighborhoods, there are fewer and fewer places where people can come together, build trust, and be heard. 

What do we lose when civic spaces disappear—and what can we build when we create them?

Who You’ll Hear From: 

• Shamichael Hallman, Director of Civic Engagement and Economic Opportunity at the Urban Libraries Council
• blew kind, Cultural Entrepreneur & Founder of Franny Lou's Porch
• Merle McGee (moderator), President & CEO, Everyday Democracy