When most of us think of the First Amendment, we think of free speech. But what do we make of the freedom to assemble? Whatever lies ahead for American Democracy, it will not thrive unless we are meeting in person, building relationships across division, and negotiating common ground. What role might citizens’ assemblies play in the years ahead for those committed to self-government?
About Philip Lindsay
Philip Lindsay leads the Democracy Innovation Hub at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College. Over the past three years, the Hub has hosted annual national gatherings for advocates and practitioners of citizens’ assemblies in the United States. These gatherings led to the first major use of sortition in New York City in 2023 as well as an assembly planned for Ft. Collins, Colorado. Philip co-taught the course “Democratic Innovation and Citizen Lotteries: from Ancient Athens to the French Climate Assembly,” which is available online. He also organizes the “Doing Democracy Differently Teacher Fellowship” which trains educators on how to bring deliberative democracy into the classroom.