PHILADELPHIA – The Committee of Seventy is gathering national and local civic leaders, scholars, policymakers, organizers, and engaged citizens to reflect on the past 250 years of American democracy and discuss the path ahead. This two-day summit on July 15th and 16th will serve as both a celebration of how this nation has grown and a call to action for shaping the next 250 years.
The opening session on July 15th will feature writer and historian Jon Meacham at the National Constitution Center followed by a cocktail reception. On July 16th, the invitation-only gathering at the University of Pennsylvania’s Hall of Flags will feature panel discussions on the information crisis, voter apathy, political polarization and more. The summit will culminate in a closing plenary keynote featuring bestselling author and New York Times writer Roxane Gay alongside PBS NewsHour and The Atlantic contributor David Brooks, moderated by WHYY’s Cherri Gregg.
Some featured panelists include:
- Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters of the United States
- Jeh Johnson, Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and co-chair of the Board of Trustees at Columbia University
- John Lapinski, Director of the NBC News Election Unit and Director of Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) at the University of Pennsylvania
- Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League
- Glenn Nye, President & CEO of the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress
- Ramesh Ponnuru, nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
“Two hundred and fifty years in, we’re not here to simply celebrate; we’re here to do the hard, honest work of asking what comes next,” said Lauren Cristella, President & CEO of Committee of Seventy. “The Promise of Democracy Summit brings together the people who know that the answer to democratic backsliding isn’t nostalgia, it’s building civic muscle. I can’t think of a better city, a better moment, or a better organization to host that conversation. It will be the civic event of an unforgettable summer.”
Sessions during the summit will be captured and distributed through our media partners at WHYY and The Philadelphia Citizen. For more information, a full list of speakers, and tickets, click here.
###
About Committee of Seventy
The Committee of Seventy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has promoted, supported and facilitated government ethics and election integrity for more than a century. Seventy advocates for more free, fair, safe and secure elections and works to ensure that every eligible voter votes, is informed when they vote, and votes with confidence. For more information, visit: https://seventy.org/.
This summit is supported by generous contributions from the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial and Lisa Detwiler, Esq.