Unify America
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No Hate Speech or Bullying
We're all in this together to create a welcoming environment. Hate speech, threats of violence, and bullying of any kind are not allowed. Degrading or antagonizing comments about race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender, or identity will not be tolerated. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required and expected.
2. No Political Campaigning, Promotio
05/18/2026
Sixty-five Akron neighbors. Ten weeks together. One shared task: figure out what to do about housing in their city.
Something unexpected is happening along the way. Delegates are forming real connections across very different backgrounds, professions, and politics. Some are getting together outside the assembly. One delegate called it "probably the most representative body that Akron has seen."
That isn't a side effect of the work. It's part of what makes the work possible.
When you give people enough time to actually listen to each other, you get more than recommendations. You get neighbors.
Read the full story about Unify Akron from the Akron Beacon Journal: https://www.aol.com/articles/housing-initiative-creating-bonds-between-100205102.html
04/23/2026
46 neighbors in Montrose, Colorado were picked by lottery for one assignment: spend 12 weeks together figuring out how every parent in town could have dependable access to safe, affordable childcare.
They delivered a 96-page report and five proposals their community is now building on. Something else happened along the way. 93% of participants said the deliberation helped them consider perspectives they hadn't before. 91% said it improved the quality of their decisions.
When the pilot ended, the group didn't go home. They formed Unify Montrose as an independent nonprofit and kept tackling local problems together.
Morgan Lasher, who leads our U.S. Democracy Leagues, put it this way: "The fastest way to build a civic identity is to deliberate with your neighbor."
Read the full story in The Denver Gazette: https://www.denvergazette.com/2026/04/11/montrose-citizens-assembly-puts-the-we-back-in-we-the-people-vince-bzdek/
Montrose citizens’ assembly puts the ‘We’ back in ‘We the People’ | Vince Bzdek By Vince Bzdek It started with a completely random encounter in a buffet line. Harry Gottlieb, founder of a national civic organization called Unify America, and his president, Michelle Sobel, were at a Chicago fundraising conference, talking about trying to find a good U.S. city for a pilot project...
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