Demos Events

The Roosevelt Institute Presents the Hamptons Institute

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST

Demos invites you to a special summer symposium hosted by the Hamptons Institute in collaboration with the Roosevelt Institute.

The Agenda | Reserve Your Seat

From July 16th through July 18th, Guild Hall and the Roosevelt Institute will present the first annual Hamptons Institute - a weekend summer symposium gathering some of the greatest minds in the arts, the economy, and the media. Open to the public, this event features three days of exciting conversations and can't-miss presentations. Reserve your seat today.

To view the full agenda and set of speakers, click here.

To purchase tickets please click here to purchase your seat at each panel.
Cum Laude and Fellow tickets, which include admission to all events, can be arranged by calling the Guild Hall Box Office at 631.324.4050.

The Networked Nonprofit Book Launch

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST

Many nonprofit organizations are floundering in this set-me-free world powered by social media. The Networked Nonprofit, a new book by Beth Kanter and Demos Senior Fellow Allison Fine, enables them to overcome their fears of losing control and evolve to meet the informational and cultural needs of today's donors and volunteers. The book offers a set of guiding principles to help nonprofit leaders navigate the transition from top-down institutions to a networked approach, enabled by social media.

Join Demos for the book launch of the The Networked Nonprofit, and an exciting conversation with the authors, moderated by Stephanie Strom of The New York Times. Fine and Kanter offer specific strategies for implementation, exercises, how-to's, and secrets to success, drawing on in-depth interviews with current nonprofit managers that have used new social media tools effectively.

Refreshments will be served and copies of the book will be available for sale.

For more information or to RSVP, click here or contact jkhanduja@demos.org.

Reforming the Financial System and Reviving the Economy: A Call for Bold, Active Government

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:00:00 EST

Join Demos, the Progressive Book Club, and the Center for American Progress for a forum with authors Jeff Madrick and John Cassidy on financial reform, and how government action can help revive the American economy.

If conservatives are right, and the best government is the smallest government, then how is it that after years of right-wing rule the nation is experiencing stagnant wages, rising health-care costs, increasing unemployment, and concentrations of wealth for a narrow elite? In his perceptive and eye-opening book, Jeff Madrick shows why engaged and empowered government is so vital in changing times.

Conservatives were equally mistaken in their utopian idolatry of “free markets,” argues John Cassidy, whose sweeping review of modern history explains why we need instead a “reality-based economics” that can cope with the speculation, myopia, and failures that are inherent in a capitalist system.

Introduction By:

John Halpin, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Featured Speakers:

Jeff Madrick, Author of The Case for Big Government and Fellow at the World Policy Institute and the Century Foundation

John Cassidy, Author of How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities and Business Correspondent for The New Yorker

Refreshments will be served promptly at 6 pm, and the discussion will begin at 6:30 pm. A live webcast will be available at www.demos.org.

Click here to RSVP.

Click here to join the Progressive Book Club, and get a free copy of The Case for Big Government by Jeff Madrick.

Sustain/Ability: Why Interdependence Matters

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:00:00 EST

Accelerating globalization, rising new powers like India and China, profound environmental challenges, and growing human migration demand a fundamental rethinking of U.S. global policies. Demos' International Program advances new ideas to cope with this changed world. Join Demos, The Interdependence Project, Mapp International Productions, the World Policy Institute, and Beckoning for Change for a panel discussion with the leading voices of the Interdependence Movement on Sustain/Ability: building our capacity to think interdependently while addressing climate justice issues through the arts, spirituality, civic action and business.

As a response to the tragic events of 9/11, a small group of scholars, civic and political leaders, and artists from a dozen nations decided that it was critically important to acknowledge the inevitability and significance of Interdependence in our time. Out of that meeting came the Interdependence Movement, which has set out to build constructively, civically and culturally, a global civil society that recognizes its interdependence. Through the Interdependence Day Celebration and Forum, the Movement honors September 12 as a post-9/11 symbol of regeneration, as a time to reflect on the range of global challenges we can solve only through acknowledging our interdependence.

Speakers Include:

Ann Rosenthal
Executive Director & Producer of MAPP International Productions

Benjamin R. Barber
Founder and President of Interdependence Day and Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos

Ethan Nichtern
Founding Director, The Interdependence Project

David Callahan (Moderator)
International Program Director and Senior Fellow at Demos

Click here to RSVP, or contact jkhanduja@demos.org.

ObamaNation Versus Whitopia: The Social and Political Divides Threatening America

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:30:00 EST

Between 2007 and 2009, Rich Benjamin, a Senior Fellow at Demos, packed his bags and embarked on a 26,909-mile journey throughout the heart of white America--some of the fastest-growing and whitest locales in the nation. Benjamin calls these enclaves "Whitopias." To learn what makes Whitopias tick, and why and how they are growing, Benjamin lived in three of them for several months apiece.

Join Columbia Basin College in Pasco, WA for two critical conversations with Rich Benjamin surrounding his book, Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America. In the book, Benjamin reveals the qualities that make a Whitopia, and explores the urgent social and political implications of this startling phenomenon. Anti-immigration measures, tax resentment, and socio-economic segregation comprise the racial, social, and political issues that are dividing the country in 2010.

At 12:30 p.m., Rich Benjamin will discuss current racial issues in the Hawk Union Building Congress Room.

At 6:30 p.m, he will discuss the social and political divides threatening the United States at the Hawk Union Building's main stage.

These events are sponsored by CBC's Office of Diversity, CBC Associated Student Body and the Department of Energy Office of EEO and Diversity.

Both lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

How Broken Is Our Democracy? And How Can We Fix It?

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:00:00 EST

To see the full agenda for this event, click here.

Since the beginning of the Obama administration, our nation has experienced vigorous policy debates about the great challenges of health care and the economic crisis. At the same time, the way these debates have unfolded has brought forward another important issue: the health and future of our democracy itself.

An overwhelming majority of Americans believe our system is not working. There is widespread cynicism and real doubt in the country about our ability to maintain a functioning system of democratic self-governance that serves all the people. The negative tenor of the congressional debate and of public discourse has underscored the crisis of the moment.

Join Demos, AmericaSpeaks, Everyday Democracy, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University, and the Brookings Institution for a special event to discuss the key issues at stake in our democracy. This half-day conference will feature experts and advocates from across the democracy reform movement in an effort to generate new momentum and a common set of priorities for strengthening the public’s voice and creating a stronger democracy. Panelists will explore the critical issues that will be front and center over the coming year; examine possibilities of a unified agenda for democratic reform; and discuss ways of creating and strengthening a movement for a vibrant and inclusive democracy.

Speakers Include:

Miles Rapoport, Demos
Darrell West, Brookings Institution
Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform
Nick Nyhart, Public Campaign
Eddie Hailes, Advancement Project
Clarissa Martinez De Castro, National Council of La Raza
Jon Greenbaum, Lawyers' Committee on Civil Rights
Karen Hobert Flynn, Common Cause
Tom Mann, Brookings Institution
Martha McCoy, Everyday Democracy
Gary Bass, OMB Watch
Archon Fung, Ash Center at Harvard Kennedy School
Carolyn Lukensmeyer, AmericaSpeaks
E.J. Dionne, Brookings Institution

Registration is Required. Click here to RSVP. For more information, contact Jinny Khanduja at jkhanduja@demos.org.

The Power of Women's Leadership

Wed, 26 May 2010 08:00:00 EST

Please join us for an event hosted by the National Council for Research on Women:

The Power of Women's Leadership

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
8:00 - 10:00 am
7:30 am: Sign-In and Continental Breakfast
RSVP to: rsvp@ncrw.org

This moderated roundtable will feature Joanna Barsh and Linda Tarr-Whelan on the impact of women's leadership across sectors, as explored in their recently published books:

Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping into Leadership-and Changing the World

by Linda Tarr-Whelan

Linda Tarr-Whelan is an expert on women's leadership in the U.S. and internationally. As a Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow, she serves frequently as an expert speaker to college and women's audiences, in the media and as an advisor to top officials in the United States and Europe on the role of women. She demonstrates how more women in leadership is good business and smart politics.

How Remarkable Women Lead: The Breakthrough Model for Work & Life
by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston

Joanna Barsh joined McKinsey & Company in 1981 and is a senior partner. Along with her consulting work, she leads the McKinsey Centered Leadership Project, whose goal is to help develop women leaders. Joanna is a New York City Commissioner of Women's Issues and received the Girl Scouts Council's Woman of Distinction Award and the NCRW Making a Difference for Women Award. Joanna is also a trustee of Sesame Workshop. She was a Baker Scholar at Harvard Business School.

Moderated by Carol Jenkins, an award-winning writer, producer, and media analyst. An Emmy-winning former television journalist, she was founding president of The Women's Media Center and is a Board member of The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF/USA).

With a welcome by Lisa Caputo, Chief Marketing Officer, Citigroup, Inc.

Co-sponsored by: Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College, Catalyst, Demos, Women's Forum, Inc., and Women4Citi.

RSVP is Required. Email rsvp@ncrw.org.

The Future of Philanthropy Series - "Philanthocapitalism vs. Small Change"

Wed, 19 May 2010 18:00:00 EST

Demos is proud to invite you to a debate hosted by the New York Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and The Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at the CUNY Graduate Center:

"Philanthrocapitalism vs. Small Change"

Featuring Demos Distingushed Senior Fellow Michael Edwards & The Economist's New York Bureau Chief, Matthew Bishop.
Moderator: Mr. Tom McPartland, Executive Vice President of The ELMA Philanthropies Services, Inc.

A new movement called philanthrocapitalism promises to save the world by applying a market-based perspective to various social and economic challenges. How well can this approach solve the complex and nuanced goals of fundamental social transformation? Some argue that philanthrocapitalism is a new and innovative way to breathe life and resources into the causes for which we advocate. Others maintain that business-based solutions are based on an entirely different set of principles, and will never inspire the collaborative spirit necessary for true change.

Michael Edwards and Matthew Bishop will draw upon their recent books to discuss and debate the costs and benefits of philanthrocapitalism in tackling our toughest social problems, both in the US and globally.

Registration is required. Click here to RSVP and for more information.

On the evening of the event, cash donations of $15 or more will receive a copy of Small Change by Michael Edwards or Philanthrocapitalism by Matthew Bishop. The authors will be available after the event to sign books.

End Prison-Based Gerrymandering

Thu, 13 May 2010 18:00:00 EST

Join the Statewide Coalition to End Prison-Based Gerrymandering for a Town Hall Meeting with Assembly Member Hakim Jeffries.

The Census Bureau counts incarcerated people as residents of the communities where prisons located, as opposed to their home communities. Counting incarcerated people in the wrong place skews legislative representation and the political power of our communities.

The Statewide Coalition to End Prison-Based Gerrymandering seeks to eliminate this practice by changing how the state and counties use the Census data for the purpose of legislative redistricting. Visit www.correctthecount.org to learn more.

Members Include:

Common Cause/NY * NAACP Legal Defense Fund * Citizens Union * Demos * The Bronx Defenders * The Drug Policy Alliance * New Kings Democrats * The Center for Law and Social Justice of Medgar Evers College * National Coalition on Black Civic Participation * Citizen Action of New York

Twelve by Twelve: A One-Room Cabin off the Grid & Beyond the American Dream

Thu, 13 May 2010 18:00:00 EST

Demos and the World Policy Institute present:

Twelve by Twelve
A book launch, discussion and reception with author and WPI Senior Fellow William Powers

Why would a successful American physician choose to live in a twelve-foot-by-twelve-foot cabin without running water or electricity? To find out, writer and activist William Powers visited Dr. Jackie Benton in rural North Carolina. No Name Creek gurgled through Benton's permaculture farm, and she stroked honeybees' wings as she shared her "wildcrafter" philosophy of living on a planet in crisis. Powers, just back from a decade of international aid work, then accepted Benton's offer to stay there for a season while she traveled. There, he befriended the eclectic neighbors--organic farmers, biofuel brewers, eco-developers--and discovered a sustainable but imperiled way of life.

In this new book, Powers not only explores this small patch of community but draws on his international experiences with other pockets of resistance. In what's been called the Walden of the Global Warming Era, this engrossing tale of Powers's struggle for a meaningful life with a smaller footprint proposes a paradigm shift from the "Flat World" to an elusive "Soft World" with clues to personal happiness and global healing.

The discussion will be followed by a reception and book signing with the author.

To see a live webcast, visit www.demos.org. You do not need to register to view the webcast.

This event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required to reserve a seat and ensure we plan appropriately and minimize waste when ordering. Click here to RSVP, or email jkhanduja@demos.org.

Green Gone Wrong: False Hope and Real Solutions to Climate Change

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST

Please join Demos, the Center for Place, Culture, and Politics at the CUNY Graduate Center, and The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute for a conversation between Demos Senior Fellow and environmental journalist Heather Rogers and reknowned climatologist Dr. James Hansen to mark the release of Rogers’s new book, Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy is Undermining the Environmental Revolution. The discussion will be moderated by Ashley Dawson, Faculty Fellow at The Center for Place, Culture and Politics at the CUNY Graduate Graduate Center.

As consumers take environmentalism into their own hands, a dynamic green marketplace has emerged. But do today’s much touted “green” products—carbon offsets, organic food, biofuels, and eco-friendly cars and homes—really work? Implicit in these efforts to go green is the simple promise that global warming can be stopped by swapping out "dirty" goods for “clean” ones. Yet in increasingly urgent times of ecological crisis how do we advance more deeply rooted changes that can truly protect the planet?

The event will be followed by a book signing with both authors.

To view a live webcast of the event, visit www.demos.org.

Click here to RSVP, or contact jkhanduja@demos.org.

CEDAW: Time to Get the US on Board

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST

The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the most comprehensive human rights treaty for women. First signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, it has never reached the floor of the United States Senate despite bipartisan support in committee. Treaty ratification requires 67 votes. Vigorous efforts are underway to secure ratification this year with the full support of the President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, and the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

We are proud to present a special Demos Forum to discuss why US ratification of CEDAW matters to women in this country and around the world, and what you can do to move it forward. The women of the world are watching to see whether we will join them, or whether we stay in the company of the handful of other countries (including Sudan, Somalia, and Iran) who have not taken part in this international cooperative effort for women's equality. Join us for this crucial conversation on the need for US ratification of CEDAW, and the steps we can take to make it a reality.

This event is sponsored by Demos, the World Policy Institute, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the National Council for Research on Women, the Eleanor Roosevelt Initiative at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University.

*Lunch will be served*

Moderator

Michele Wucker, Executive Director, World Policy Institute

Panelists

June Zeitlin, Director, CEDAW Education Project, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Linda Tarr-Whelan, Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow

Letty Chiwara, Cross-Regional Programs Manager, UNIFEM

This event will be webcast live at www.demos.org.

To RSVP, click here. For more information, contact mkane@demos.org.

This panel is a part of the Women's Leadership Initiative at Demos. The Women's Leadership Initiative highlights fresh thinking, research, and writing about the importance of women's equality and leadership in building a strong democracy and securing economic prosperity.

Heather Rogers' Green Gone Wrong at Town Hall Seattle

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:30:00 EST

As we near the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Demos, Town Hall Seattle, and the University Bookstore are proud to present Demos Senior Fellow Heather Rogers in a discussion about her new book, Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy Is Undermining the Environmental Revolution.

As consumers take environmentalism into their own hands, a dynamic green marketplace has emerged. But do today’s much touted “green” products—carbon offsets, organic food, biofuels, and eco-friendly cars and homes—really work? Implicit in these efforts to go green is the simple promise that global warming can be stopped by swapping out "dirty" goods for “clean” ones. Yet in increasingly urgent times of ecological crisis, how do we advance more deeply rooted changes that can truly protect the planet?

Tickets are $5, and available in advance or at the door at 6:30 pm. Click here to purchase an advance ticket.

Prisons, Redistricting, and the Census: New Options for States and Localities

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST

The Census Bureau counts incarcerated persons as residents of the prison rather than as residents of their home community. This conflicts with legal residence rules in many states and has distorted representation in state legislatures and local governing bodies throughout the country. While the Census Bureau’s rule remains in place for the 2010 Census, the Bureau recently announced that it will accelerate release of data on prison counts so as to assist states and localities that wish to make their own adjustments on how prison populations are counted for state and local redistricting.

Join Demos, the Prison Policy Initiative, and the Brennan Center for Justice for a hill briefing on April 27th, 2010. The Hon. William Lacy Clay, Jr., other members of Congress, Census Bureau representatives, and state and local officials will discuss how prison counts affect fair representation, and how state and local governments can address these problems in the 2010 round of redistricting.

Opening remarks

Rep. William Lacy Clay, Jr. (D-Mo.),
Chair, House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tx.)

Panelists

Cathy McCully
Chief, Census Redistricting Data Office, Bureau of the Census

Edward P. Welsh (R-Utica, NY)
Oneida County Legislator and a member of the Oneida County Charter Commission, which is exploring adjustments to prison population counts to avoid distortions in local county redistricting

Clarence Bell
Retired police chief and a member of the steering committee of the Somerset County Diversity Taskforce, where the county's African-American voting strength has been diluted because of prison counts

Peter Wagner
Executive Director of the Prison Policy Initiative and a national expert on prison-based gerrymandering

Monifa Bandele
Unity Diaspora Coalition Campaign, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

Moderator

Brenda Wright
Director, Democracy Program, Demos

Closing Remarks

Erika Wood
Deputy Director, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice

To RSVP, click here, or contact jkhanduja@demos.org.

Creative Community Organizing by Si Kahn - Featuring Pete Seeger

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST

Registration for this event has reached capacity, and we are no longer accepting RSVPs. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, email jkhanduja@demos.org.

If you have registered and can no longer attend, please let us know so that we may admit others from the waitlist.

Join Demos, Grassroots Leadership, The Opportunity Agenda, and the North Star Fund for a reception and conversation to celebrate the release of Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow Si Kahn's new book:

Creative Community Organizing:
A Guide for Rabble-Rousers, Activists, and Quiet Lovers of Justice

Featuring Comments and Participation by Special Guest

Pete Seeger

This latest work by legendary activist, musician, and author Si Kahn is a different kind of community organizing book. As with other books, it outlines many of the practical tactics organizers use. But it's also about community organizing as a way of thinking and a way of life.

Creative Community Organizing helps established community organizers become more creative and innovative, and encourages them to question established principles and decide whether or not they still work. Those new to the field will discover a whole new way of looking at the world--they'll gain a new sense of empowerment, understand that things don't have to remain the way they are, and see that the world can be more fair and humane--and that they can live and work in ways that help make that happen.

To read a recent review of Creative Community Organizing, click here.

*Wine and cheese will be served*

Registration is required. To RSVP, click here, or contact jkhanduja@demos.org.