“History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us.” —James Baldwin 

Democracy is only as strong as our shared commitment to democratic values of belonging, inclusion, and justice for all. Narrative for a Just Society programs use history, art, and culture to build shared understanding and connection through dialogue. Across America, we promote the power of storytelling to help neighbors explore the past and inspire trusting, democratic communities.  

Current programs include: 

• Arts, Culture, & Democracy: We partner with museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions to engage communities in dialogue and storytelling to make meaning of our shared history and co-create a more complete, inclusive story of our democracy. Learn how we work.

• Dialogue for Truth, Reckoning, and Repair: Drawing on truth and reconciliation frameworks, we facilitate and support local community members to use storytelling, truthful dialogue, and deliberation to acknowledge aspects of our shared painful history, implement meaningful repair strategies, and restore community connections. Learn how we work.

• Interdependent Democracy Innovation Lab: We convened cross-movement social justice leaders to co-create a strategy to build and sustain thriving, interdependent democracies and recognize, anticipate, and respond to anti-democratic, anti-human practices. Explore what we learned.