In a time of hyper-partisanship and the reconsideration of the narrative of the United States, what is the state of American democracy and the relationship between social solidarity and civic engagement? How can we reflect on the values that undergird our democracy and civic existence to envision a healthy and vibrant civic future?
In this podcast, the Engage Democracy Fellows at the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement connect with diverse local and regional civic and community leaders on what inspired them to engage in this civic moment and better understand what is next for our civic future.
In these conversations, we hope to understand how regular people are stepping into their civic callings and what are the beliefs and values at the root of our social fabric.
Listen to This Civic Moment
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Season 3: Episode Guide
Aaron Naparstek
Aaron Naparstek ’93 is the the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog USA and host of the podcast The War on Cars. He is a journalist, community organizer, and alternative transportation advocate based in Brooklyn, NY.
Dr. LJ Punch
Dr. Punch is a trauma surgeon and Executive Director of Power 4 Stl. He also serves as Medical Director at the Bullet Related Injury Clinic, a community-based free clinic that focuses on the experience of the Black masculine body.
Dr. John Inazu
Dr. John Inazu is a Senior Fellow with Interfaith America and the Founder of The Carver Project, a non-profit that connects students and faculty to community engagement through their Christian faith.
Tony Messenger
Tony Messenger is the Metro Columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for a series of articles written in 2018 on debtors’ prisons in rural Missouri.
Blake Strode
Blake Strode is the Executive Director of Arch City Defenders, a nonprofit civil rights law firm in St. Louis. He is also a Co-host of Under the Arch podcast.
Annie Rice
Annie Rice is a former Alderperson who represented the 8th Ward of St. Louis city from 2018 to 2023. She is also an attorney with a background in immigration and civil rights law.
Kelly McGowan and Shavanna Spratt
Kelly McGowan is the Founder of Transform 314. Shavanna Spratt is the Creator & Host of Da Hood Talks Podcast. Together, they host the Monday Night Live YouTube series.
Special Edition: 2022 Midterm Elections
Voting 101
There’s a lot of terminology around elections that can seem inaccessible to people just beginning to vote. Here’s a short introduction to what you need to know to make sure your vote counts.
Season 2: Episode Guide
Rep. Avery Bourne
Representative Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) was sworn into office on February 18, 2015, and elected on November 8, 2016, to represent the 95th District in the Illinois General Assembly.
Ness Sandoval, Ph.D.
Dr. Ness Sandoval is an associate director of Saint Louis University’s Geospatial Institute (GeoSLU) and an associate professor of sociology. His research interests include demography, urban sociology, immigration, and more.
Mike Jones II, Ph.D.
Mike Jones II, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Community Science at the Race & Opportunity Lab joins This Civic Moment to discuss his passion for St. Louis, representation in higher education, and much more.
Caroline Fan
Caroline Fan, founder and president of the Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation, joins This Civic Moment to discuss, language, identity, and representation in the political process.
Ray Boshara
Ray Boshara, senior advisor at the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, joins the show to discuss asset-based policy, the racial-wealth gap, and more.
Vivian Gibson
Author Vivian Gibson, joins us to discuss the decline of the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood. Her memoir documents the nation’s largest urban renewal project and its consequences on the black community.
Lane Koch
Lane Koch, Vice President of C3 Public Strategies, joins us to share insights on successful grassroots campaign management, movement building, and conversation across party lines.
Jason Rosenbaum
Jason Rosenbaum, Politics Correspondent at St. Louis Public Radio, joins us to discuss the evolving media landscape and the lack of public awareness surrounding local and state politics.
Season 1: Episode Guide
Richard A. Gephardt
Richard A. Gephardt is President and CEO of Gephardt Government Affairs. Mr. Gephardt established an endowment for the Gephardt Institute for Public Service (now the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement) in 2005. He provides ongoing support and vision for its future.
Scott Faughn
Scott Faughn is the publisher of The Missouri Times. Before beginning his publishing career, Faughn was elected the youngest mayor in the history of Poplar Bluff at the age of 22. He hosts a television show called This Week in Missouri Politics.
Evan Krauss
Evan Krauss is the Director of East Side Aligned. East Side Aligned works to align policy, practice, and investment across sectors to improve outcomes for young people. East Side Aligned is not an organization or program. It is how they refer to the Collective Impact process happening within the greater East St. Louis area to improve outcomes for young people.
Dr. Kira Hudson Banks
Dr. Kira Hudson Banks is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Saint Louis University. She is co-founder of the Institute for Healing Justice and Equity at Saint Louis University, and has served as a racial equity consultant for the Ferguson Commission and Racial Equity Catalyst for Forward Through Ferguson.
Rabbi Susan Talve
Rabbi Susan Talve leads Central Reform Congregation. Central Reform Congregation provides a vibrant urban Jewish community dedicated to supporting one another in holy ways in pursuing justice and lifelong learning, and providing a shelter of peace.
Listen to the Podcast Trailer
A New (Old) Way to Process This Civic Moment
2020 was a historic year charging us to deeply reflect on the state of our democracy and civic identity. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a new normal for every aspect of our lives. Housing, employment, education, and healthcare among other issue areas all demand robust responses from government and communities for a successful recovery and building more resilience. George Floyd, among other victims of police violence, once again stoke calls for racial justice. Activists and policy leaders push for reforms in policing along with broader criminal justice reform. 2020 also hosted an election for the US presidency on the ballot which was followed by an attack on the US capital in an attempt to disrupt a peaceful transfer of power.
As the nation grapples with these challenges and the rapidly changing public landscape, foundational tenants of civic life may provide guidance in defining our civic future.
We may see even in our travels how near and dear every man is to every other. Friendship seems to hold states together, and lawgivers to care more for it than justice; for concord seems to be something like friendship, and this they aim at most of all, and expel faction as their worst enemy; and when men are friends they have no need of justice, while when they are just they need friendship as well, and the truest form of justice is thought to be a friendly quality.
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle believed that “friendship seems to hold states together, and lawgivers to care more for it than justice.” This civic friendship of Aristotle is a kind of political and social solidarity in which all citizens of a polis share in the common practice of democracy while hoping for shared prosperity.
In a time of hyper-partisanship and the reconsideration of the narrative of the United States, what is the state of American democracy and the relationship between social solidarity and civic engagement? How can we reflect on the values that undergird our democracy and civic existence to envision a healthy and vibrant civic future?
This podcast will seek answers to these questions while providing listeners with multiple angles to inquire, reflect, and discern our civic identity and calling as a community.
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