Remaking the Commons: A Virtual Conversation on Civic Space and Democracy

Everyday Democracy is hosting Remaking the Commons: Stories of Civic Space, Belonging, and Democracy, a virtual conversation exploring the crucial link between civic spaces and democratic life. Featuring grassroots leaders and national innovators, the event highlights how libraries, cafés, and community spaces foster connection, equity, and participation in public life. With powerful stories and practical insights, it offers a compelling look at how communities are reimagining civic spaces in the face of disinvestment and division. Read more in the blog post below.

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NCDD member Everyday Democracy is hosting a timely and essential virtual conversation that explores the vital relationship between civic spaces and democratic participation. "Remaking the Commons: Stories of Civic Space, Belonging, and Democracy" brings together community leaders to examine how physical and social spaces shape our ability to connect, organize, and exercise our fundamental democratic rights.
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Taking place on Tuesday, July 15, at 4-5:30 PM ET, this virtual gathering addresses a critical challenge facing communities nationwide: the erosion of civic spaces through disinvestment, restriction, and erasure. As places where people traditionally come together to build trust and be heard become increasingly scarce, the conversation explores both what we lose and what becomes possible when we intentionally create and preserve these democratic gathering places.

Where Democracy Meets Everyday Life

The event recognizes that civic spaces—from libraries and parks to community centers and neighborhood gathering spots—serve as the foundation for democratic participation. These are the places where strangers become neighbors, where local concerns are identified and addressed, and where people exercise their rights to speak freely, assemble, and be seen.

Everyday Democracy's framing of this conversation reflects their deep understanding that democracy is not just about formal political processes but about the daily interactions and relationships that build the social fabric of communities. Their approach aligns perfectly with dialogue and deliberation practices that emphasize creating inclusive spaces for meaningful civic engagement.
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The virtual format makes this important conversation accessible to participants across geographic boundaries while maintaining the interactive, community-centered spirit that characterizes effective democratic dialogue.

Voices from the Frontlines

The conversation features two remarkable leaders whose work exemplifies innovative approaches to civic space and community building. Shamichael Hallman, Director of Civic Engagement and Economic Opportunity at the Urban Libraries Council, brings extensive experience in reimagining public libraries as spaces for social connection and democratic participation. His work, including his acclaimed TEDx talk "Reimagining the Public Library to Reconnect the Community" and his co-founding of Libraries as Bridges, demonstrates how traditional civic institutions can be transformed to better serve their communities.

Joining Hallman is blew kind, Afro-Indigenous mother, multi-disciplinary artist, and cultural entrepreneur whose work in Philadelphia exemplifies grassroots approaches to creating transformational community spaces. Through initiatives like Leotahs Place, Franny Lou's Porch café, and d'griot wellness café, she has demonstrated how cultural entrepreneurs can create spaces that nourish, heal, and build resilient communities rooted in care and connection.
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Moderating the conversation is Merle McGee, President and CEO of Everyday Democracy, whose 25 years of experience in nonprofit work focused on racial, gender, and economic justice provide essential context for understanding how civic spaces can advance equity and inclusion.

Building Connection and Democratic Possibility

This conversation promises to offer practical insights and inspiration for anyone working to strengthen civic engagement in their communities. Rather than focusing on policy debates, the discussion centers on real places, real people, and the tangible ways that civic spaces contribute to building connection, trust, and democratic possibility.

The event's emphasis on stories and lived experiences reflects the kind of authentic, human-centered dialogue that NCDD members value. By highlighting how civic spaces are being preserved, created, and reimagined across different communities, the conversation offers participants concrete examples of how space and place can be leveraged to strengthen democratic participation.

For dialogue and deliberation practitioners, this event offers valuable perspectives on the environmental and contextual factors that support meaningful civic engagement. The insights shared will be particularly relevant for those working to create inclusive spaces for community conversation and collaborative problem-solving.
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The partnership between Everyday Democracy and the Urban Libraries Council demonstrates the kind of cross-sector collaboration that strengthens both individual organizations and the broader field of civic engagement. This event represents an opportunity to learn from leaders who are successfully creating and sustaining spaces where democracy thrives in everyday life.