At the NYU Democracy Project, Pozen on Constitutional Conventions, Azari on the Politics of Racial Backlash, and Heath Mayo on Civic Engagement

From Marquette’s Julia Azari, To Save Democracy, We Can’t Shy Away From the Toughest Issues :

“[N]ot confronting the racial realities of American society only pushes the problem further down the road, leaving us vulnerable to a repeat of the backlash cycle. In the wake of the 2016 and 2024 elections, Democrats are especially susceptible to election narratives that emphasize how they should have been more cautious and less bold about the interests of marginalized people – whether it’s the rights of transgender Americans , Black Americans , or immigrants . History shows that this will not work, and will impoverish rather than save democracy. Efforts to keep slavery off the national agenda or compromise the issue away, to dodge civil rights are not high points in our national story