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Insurrection Anniversary is a Reminder to Invest in Civic Infrastructure
In an alternate universe, January 6, 2021 might have marked an inflection point in America’s decades-long story of democratic decline — a moment of collective epiphany and the beginning of a mass mobilization to rescue our nearly 250 year system of self-government. Instead, our democracy has moved closer to the brink of collapse.
To build a thriving democracy, we must address not only the formal institutions and processes of self-government but also the deeper sources of our discontent that fueled the January 6 insurrection: widening polarization, widespread loss of political agency, a broken social contract.
As onerous as this sounds, a critical part of the solution is lying in plain sight — in the local libraries, community centers, mutual aid networks, parks, and houses of worship that invite people to practice the art of citizenship every day.