The 2020 election has been a teachable moment for Civic Circle students and audiences on several fronts. Students in our after-school workshops have learned firsthand about three of the seven “steps to democracy” at the heart of our program: resolving conflicts peacefully (Listen!), discerning the truth (Learn!) and voting (Choose!). In one sense, peaceful conflict resolution (Listen!) is at the heart of democracy. We choose our leaders through a peaceful transfer of power, not through…
ON THE SURFACE, this election looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Congress approved only a small fraction ($400 million) of the estimated $4 billion that states needed to run the election amid a pandemic. Lawsuits, postal service delays, and fears about voter suppression or a looming constitutional crisis have left many Americans bracing for Election Day chaos. But a funny thing happened on the way to the ballot box this year: average Americans, business…
The Civic Circle is excited to be sharing our democracy songs at two family-friendly events immediately before and after Election Day. Everybody is invited to join the Civic Circle Sing-A-Long being hosted by Montgomery College as part of the MC Votes “Party to the Polls” celebrations. Teaching artists Uasuf Gueye and Nick Newlin will sing Civic Circle democracy songs, kids can enjoy crafts and coloring, and we will close with a family sing-along. This virtual…
The Civic Circle was extremely honored to participate in the October Family Community Sing hosted by Carpe Diem Arts and The Washington Revels. Teaching artist Uasuf Gueye shared his new hip-hop voting song, “Democracy,” and teaching artist Nick Newlin shared two other Civic Circle songs, “The Citizen Tango” and “Speak Up.” This virtual musical gathering drew an amazing 3,700, thanks in part to the star power of the evening’s dynamic emcee, Munit Mesfin, who’s on…
Big thanks to teaching artist Uasuf Gueye for his hip-hop celebration of voting, “Democracy,” which is the latest addition to The Civic Circle’s repertoire of civic songs. This song is getting a lot of visibility on the eve of this historic election! Uasuf and teaching artist Nick Newlin are performing “Democracy” and other Civic Circle songs at the Family Community Sing hosted by the Washington Revels and Carpe Diem Arts, at a Montgomery College “Party…