How to pronounce "essential"

(lively music)

- One of the coolest things about walking

through the streets of Philly and meeting people

with different stories is that the United States was built

with the stories of people from all over the world.

And the people that shaped our democracy included

Indigenous intellectuals, Black and Brown women,

folks that were part of the abolitionist movement.

But when we think about the future of democracy

and making it fair and equitable,

that's not something that most people have experienced.

And it's an opportunity for us to live in

to the promise of democracy.

(lively music)

Democracy needs a redesign.

And what that presents us is an opportunity

to reimagine a democracy that works for everyone.

So everybody, I want you to close your eyes

for a second and I want you to think

about your wildest dream for democracy.

- Just to have that freedom, that freedom of choice

and the freedom to know that I count,

what I say and what I believe in has purpose,

and hopefully someone will be there to represent me

and what I want, and what I feel will be good for all.

The power is from the people.

- [Shari] Yes. - And for the people.

- I think about people coming together

to really advocate for what they want to see.

- If we may have a different opinion

we can find a middle ground.

- A world where people are actually able

to truly see one another, to meet one another,

and to support one another.

- Why not just be the change?

- Democracy only works if people impacted

by decisions are able to participate

in the democratic system.

- We have an election that's coming up

for student government.

- How about we do like, recommendations from like,

teachers and like, show like,

(class discussing)

- That's a good idea.

- Listening is an essential ingredient in democracy

and the reality is when we don't practice listening,

it limits our ability to incorporate the things

that we have heard and learned from others

into the path forward that we chart.

- This is actually a mural on a container

that was opened up as a people's budget office,

and so people literally could have post-it notes,

and then the question was like, where,

what needs to be funded and what's important to you?

- That is incredible.

When democracy doesn't include everyone

what happens is there are so many people whose voice,

whose livelihood is not considered in the laws

and policies that we make in the United States.

When we think about participation, it doesn't have

to look like what it's looked like before.

We can design it so that it's fun, it meets us where we are,

it's exciting, and it makes sense.

(lively music)

As people engage in participatory democracy,

their life changes.

Not only does their perspective of what's possible

in democracy change, but their likelihood to volunteer

in their community changes, their likelihood

to consider running for political office changes.

- [Government Official] On behalf

of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services,

it is my sincere pleasure to welcome you

to this special naturalization ceremony.

- I think about democracy as a living, breathing thing.

It's like a tapestry that we're stitching together.

- Congratulations to each of you.

With that, you are now citizens

of the United States of America.

(audience applauding)

(dramatic music)

- There are parts of it that we can look back to

and learn from and there's so much of it

that hasn't been stitched yet, that hasn't yet been woven.

I challenge folks to think about what they want

to see in democracy.

(dramatic music)