By Kelsey Ensign, Louis W. Cabot Humanities Policy Fellow
In 1780, the founders of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences were facing a critical moment during the beginning years of the American democratic project. At the height of the American Revolutionary War, the scholar-patriots who would establish the Academy gathered to create an institution that could help make a nascent republic function and thrive.
More than two hundred years later, this tradition of convening for the sake of American democracy continues at the Academy. In December 2024, the Academy hosted a two-day convening at another pivotal moment for our constitutional democracy. The convening brought together practitioners and leaders from across the democracy renovation space to reconnect, reflect on the 2024 U.S. presidential election results, and find new ways to collaborate ahead of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
The attendees largely came from the Academy’s Our Common Purpose (OCP) Champions network. Champions organizations are committed to advancing one or more of the recommendations in the Our Common Purpose: Reinvigorating American Democracy for the 21st Century report. They represent communities from across the country and have a range of perspectives. Each Champion is doing work to strengthen our civil society, to bolster our civic culture, and to make our democratic institutions more responsive to the public.
From the Our Common Purpose Champions Convening, watch Danielle Allen, Stephen Heintz, and Eric Liu in conversation with Goodwin Liu.
OCP Champions have made important contributions to all facets of American constitutional democracy and have been vital to the work of the Our Common Purpose project. While the Academy has brought this group together virtually since the release of the OCP report in 2020, the December OCP Champions Convening was the first time the network met in person. As the OCP project heads into its final two years, this convening offered an opportunity to recenter and reconnect with the Champions.
The two-day meeting featured a mix of panel discussions and small-group breakout sessions. Goodwin Liu, Chair of the Academy’s Board of Directors, opened the convening and moderated a discussion with the Our Common Purpose cochairs: Danielle Allen (Harvard University), Stephen Heintz (Rockefeller Brothers Fund), and Eric Liu (Citizen University). They reflected on the progress that has been made since the release of the OCP report, shared their thoughts on the challenges that remain, and expressed their optimism about the movement and network that have been built around democracy in recent years.
After these opening comments, attendees joined breakout discussions and a plenary session that gave them an opportunity to reflect together on the 2024 presidential election and what the results might mean for their work. Throughout the next two days, the plenary and breakout sessions focused on forward-looking topics, including planning for the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026, setting and working toward generational democracy goals, engaging policymakers at all levels of government, and working with philanthropic funders on democracy initiatives. Laurie L. Patton, who at the time was about to start her tenure as the Academy’s president, addressed the attendees and shared her vision for the Academy and how it will remain committed to cultivating thought leadership in service of American democracy.
Throughout the convening, several themes emerged that will help guide the Academy’s OCP work through the project’s conclusion in 2026. These themes include the power of the local and place-based democracy work, the need to pursue both cultural and structural democratic innovations, and the importance of considering how economic inequities impact American democracy. During the final two years of the Our Common Purpose initiative, the Academy will work in partnership with the OCP Champions network to advance these ideas.
We are approaching a major national milestone: 250 years since the beginning of the American democratic experiment in 1776. As we near this important moment for the country, the Academy is committed to remaining a key place for people to gather, share ideas, and reflect on ways to strengthen American democracy in the twenty-first century.
For more information about the OCP project and its work, please visit www.amacad.org/ourcommonpurpose.