Author: André Lambelet

About a dozen people joined us in Minneapolis on February 4. We had a spirited conversation — what does it mean to have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people? — discovered new allies, and took hope in our engagement. We were a diverse lot: people with lots of experience in politics; others with none. People with lots of experience with civil society; others with none.

We’ll keep our conversation going; conversations like this help give us the courage to speak out and act. But we’re also working on sharing information about concrete things that people can do to help keep the flame of democracy lit. Soon, on this site, you’ll be able to find a searchable directory of resources, actions, and organizations that can help — and if you register, you’ll be able to contribute to that list. We’ll have an online forum to keep our conversations going, to share information about steps to take and to give people a space that isn’t run by people whose only interest is monetizing our conversations.

If you’re interested in helping this effort, get in touch — you can fill out a contact form or simply send an email to admin@firsttuesdayalliance.org. We’ll get back to you quickly.

We had a good turnout at our Minneapolis meeting on March 4—a convivial group of newcomers and old hands—despite a winter storm that was beginning to rage.

The topic our conversation was civic virtue. There was a broad consensus that we’re going through a period where people with power—and many who people who have very little power—feel unconstrained by ethics or concern for others.

One of the challenges we face is rebuilding a sense of community and a sense of responsibility for the well-being of others. Simply meeting with new people who share an interest in building a community is a step , but we need much more. Many of the people who attended are already doing things, but finding out what to do, when to do it, where to do it all seem daunting.

It’s important to recognize that rebuilding a community is hard—and it’s even harder when people are isolated. So talking to friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers can help. One of the people attending mentioned that she has made it a project to talk to people at the YWCA when she goes for her workouts, to let people know what role federal funds play in the work that organizations like the Y do.

Another way to reach out is to share what we know and what we believe with others. Another small step is to engage with people in the state by writing letters to the editor. To that end, there’s a list of newspapers on the site now with contact information. You can retrieve all the daily papers simply by clicking a button—and begin writing.

Some updates to the site: there’s the list of newspapers; there’s a new “group” feature that allows registered members to join a conversation; and the site should be a little cleaner. In the next few days, there will be a small documents / tools library that will include things like the readings we’ve done, templates for letters to the editor, and other useful things.