Democracy is not just about elections. It's about what happens in between.
Where trust in democracy is eroding and access to justice remains deeply unequal, this global perspective on democracy, as something practiced daily, offers timely lessons.
Hosted by Sean Buffington, Vice President, Programs, Henry Luce Foundation, Luce Change: How Communities Are Shaping Their Futures explores how Luce grantees are reimagining and reinvigorating democratic culture by partnering with communities, expanding knowledge, and forging new approaches to justice and civic life. This podcast takes an honest look at how democracy, local and global, can build more inclusive and self-determined futures for its citizens.
Aaron Tanaka, CEO of One Project and founder of the Center for Economic Democracy, joins Sean Buffington on this episode of Luce Change to make the case that America’s political crisis is, at its root, an economic one. When the majority of people have no real agency over the decisions that shape their lives, democracy becomes a ritual rather than a reality.
Tanaka traces this failure from the founding contradictions of the country through the bipartisan embrace of neoliberalism, and argues that the antidote isn’t better messaging—it’s restructuring who controls land, labor, and capital.
Articles & Organizations Mentioned:
One Project: https://www.one.org
Center for Economic Democracy: https://www.economicdemocracy.us
Boston Ujima Project: https://www.ujimaboston.com
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative: https://www.dsni.org
Right to the City Alliance: https://righttothecity.org
City Life / Vida Urbana: https://www.clvu.org
Climate Justice Alliance: https://climatejusticealliance.org
Civic Lex: https://www.civiclex.org
Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance: https://www.amazonsacredheadwaters.org
Participatory Budgeting Project: https://www.participatorybudgeting.org
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