The Civic Generation

What happens when two people with completely different political views actually keep talking? In this episode of The Civic Generation , Ruthu Josyula shares how one late-night conversation with her roommate changed the course of her life—they disagreed on almost everything, but stayed friends by morning. Chelsea Beaupre reflects on growing up in the D.C. area, watching The West Wing, and how it sh...

How do different generations talk about showing up in civic life? In this episode of The Civic Generation , Gabe Lerner, founder of Democracy Notes , and Lennon N. Jackson of Howard University share how they each came to this work—and why they don’t always use the same words to describe it. Lennon feels strongly about “civic engagement” through her family’s experience in the Civil Rights Movement,...

What are the defining moments that shape a generation? In this episode of The Civic Generation , George Washington University sophomore Jonah Beinart and civic leader Debi Ghate share how defining moments for their generations—9/11 and October 7—shaped how they see the world, and how those different starting points actually help them relate to each other. They both reflect on the pitfalls of black...

Is Gen Z coming of age in unprecedented uncertainty — or have we been here before?   In the premiere episode of The Civic Generation , 19-year-old engineering student Samantha Sandhaus and civic leader Stefanie Sanford, who came of age in the 1970s, compare notes on economic anxiety, political division, and the future of American democracy.   Instead of debating who had it harder, they discover a...