I invest in CIVIC INFLUENCERS because…
As a student in the 1960s and 1970s, I witnessed the emergence of a powerful force that was key to the Civil Rights Movement and the ending of the Vietnam War: student activism. Together with progressive religious leaders, students stared down bayonets—sometimes in the midst of tear gas clouds—to stand up to entrenched power structures of the day. Similarly, today’s youth are emerging as torchbearers for important political and social causes, despite efforts to mute their voices. It is only logical that their voices be amplified instead, given that the future is theirs. Civic Influencers serve as a beacon to light the path forward to that end, developing student civic participation and leadership now and for decades to come.
—Jim Margard
I invest in CIVIC INFLUENCERS because…
I’m deeply worried about the state of American society. All of the various hatreds currently on the rise—racism, misogyny, anti-semitism, transphobia, xenophobia—are all related. It was bad enough when these things were being stoked implicitly with “dog whistles.” Now it’s out in the open and espoused by people in elected office without consequence. It’s so easy to plant lies, stoke hatred, and fear, and divide people. Enabling truth to be heard and accepted; calming fears and defusing hate; bringing people together: It’s long, hard work. And then I speak with Maxim Thorne, or I see a video by a CIVIC INFLUENCER, or I meet one of the staff people, and I’m re-inspired. They’re doing the work, person by person, of reweaving the fabric of society, working collaboratively and building relationships that allow new perspectives to be heard. This is what we need to do if we want a functioning democracy, and I feel I need to be part of it.
—Rabbi Jan Uhrbach
Director of the Block/Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts
Jewish Theological Seminary
Watch the Videos Below
