A conversation about the failings and challenges of democracy in the United States and what we can do about them with Danielle Allen, director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center. How can we find common purpose to build a stronger democratic society amid today’s complex political climate?

Danielle Allen is a seasoned leader, public policy and public affairs expert, national voice on pandemic response, and distinguished academic and author. Danielle’s work to make the world better for young people has taken her from teaching college and leading a $60 million university division to driving change as board chair for a $6 billion foundation, writing for The Atlantic, and, most recently, running for governor of Massachusetts.

Allen cochaired the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, formed to explore how best to respond to the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in political and civic life. Its final, bipartisan report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, was released in June 2020 and includes six strategies and thirty-one ambitious recommendations to help the nation emerge as a more resilient democracy by 2026, the nation’s 250th anniversary. During the height of COVID in 2020, Allen’s leadership in rallying coalitions and building solutions resulted in policies adopted in federal legislations and a Biden executive order. Allen is also the author of several books addressing the broad history and personal significance of justice and democracy including Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, Cuz: An American Tragedy, and, most recently, Justice by Means of Democracy.

Tickets

Tickets are available for $15 (General Admission) and $30 (Conversation Starter). Tickets will be available for purchase in 2025.

To ensure that everyone who wants to attend is able to, we make a portion of tickets free. To request a no-cost ticket, please use this form.

If you’re able to pay for a ticket, we ask that you do so to help keep this program accessible to all. When you buy a Conversation Starter ticket, you help keep ticket prices low for everyone. Oregon Humanities uses income from Consider This ticket sales to pay for venue rental and honoraria for our guests.

Other ways to participate

Can't make it in person? Tune in from anywhere! The conversation will be broadcast live, for free, on our YouTube channel.

About the venue

Mobility access: The Tomorrow Theater is wheelchair-accessible, with capacity for 4 wheelchairs, along with 4 mobile companion seats, and additional seating in the front row that can be used to accommodate additional wheelchair and companion seats. Please notify the theater if you have ADA accessible needs so they can prepare the theater. You can email the theater at tomorrow@pamcut.org.

Parking: The theater is in a busy neighborhood with scarce street parking, though there are usually plenty of spaces available two blocks to the north or south. There is one accessible parking spot across Division on SE 35th Place between Division and SE Grant Court. There is a second accessible parking space two blocks away on SE 36th Ave between Division and SE Clinton St. There are modern curb cuts with truncated domes at the corner of SE 35th Place and SW Division and right in front of the entrance. There is a marked crosswalk across Division at SE 35th There is a ramp going from the entrance to the lobby area outside of the theater. 

Public transit: There are stops for the TriMet FX2 bus within two blocks of the theater. There are stops for Lines 9, 10, 14, and 72 within a ten-minute walking distance.

Food and drink: There is a concession stand in the lobby. Outside food and beverages are not permitted.

Lighting: The venue has appropriate overhead lighting before and after the conversation. During the conversation, lights are dimmed with staged lighting facing the stage. Lights in the lobby/bar remain on during the program. The auditorium has two steep carpeted aisles with red lights lining each edge.

Sound: There will be music at a moderate volume before and after the event.

Read more about the Tomorrow Theater.

Thanks to our sponsors

This series is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Oregon Cultural Trust, and The Standard.