Vermont Civics Collaborative
Vermont Humanities took part in the nationwide “Why it Matters: Civics and Electoral Participation” initiative sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Federation for State Humanities Councils.
After a year in which citizen engagement has never been more important, this national project brought some of the best thinkers, activists, and organizers on these issues to forefront across the nation, and in Vermont.
Eight Vermont partners organized events for “Why it Matters” under the banner of the Vermont Civics Collaborative.
Recorded Events
Kesha Ram and Delma Jackson: What Does Race Have to Do With It?
The day after the verdict in the George Floyd murder trial was announced, the Center for Whole Communities in Burlington hosted a discussion between Senator Ram and Delma Jackson, the co-host of the Dive-In-Justice podcast.
Talking In Place: What Can Vermont Town Meetings Teach Us About Bridging Divides?
Author Susan Clark, historian Paul M. Searls, podcaster Erica Heilman, and UVM professor Cheryl Morse reflect on what Vermont’s rural town meeting tradition can teach us about our nation’s democracy today.
Why Does the Electoral College Matter?
The job of the Electoral College is to select the President and Vice President after the people of each state have voted. When the national vote and the electoral vote reach different conclusions, as happened in 2016, voters on the losing side cry foul. Why do we have an electoral college in the first place? In this first of three presentations on our constitutional democracy, Meg Mott considers the rationale behind this 18th century institution.
Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Ceremony 2021
Tim Wise, a prominent anti-racist writer and educator gave this keynote presentation on January 17 for the Greater Burlington Multicultural Resource Center at the St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Burlington as part of a remembrance of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Conspiracy Talk and American Democracy Today
Conspiracy theory, once on the fringes of American democracy, is now at its the center. Russell Muirhead examines the nature of current conspiracy talk, and what it is doing to our democracy.
The Informed Citizen, from Athens to Today
New York University Politics professor Melissa Schwartzberg discusses what it means to be an informed citizen in the context of the history of democracy, particularly in ancient Athens.
Vermont’s Temples of Democracy: A Tour with State Curator David Schutz
In an exclusive video tour, Vermont State Curator David Schutz explores the architectural symbolism of our beautifully-restored capitol building, and visits a rural town hall, another Vermont civic structure that enables us to govern ourselves.
Women’s Suffrage: Moral Advancement or Politics as Usual?
The suffrage movement operated under two very different principles. Elizabeth Cady Stanton saw women’s suffrage as a right that had been unfairly denied to women, while Frederick Douglass saw women’s suffrage as a means to save the country’s soul.
This program is part of the “Why it Matters: Civics and Electoral Participation” initiative sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Federation for State Humanities Councils.
Vermont Humanities is under grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the NEH or Vermont Humanities.