Citizen University TV

As we celebrate this season of gratitude and forgiveness, Eric Liu adds three things to celebrate: our presence, our openness, and our heritage. Liu says presence matters because it's getting too easy to retreat into small circles of comfort. He says openness is to be celebrated because open and inclusive societies tend to outperform and outlast closed, exclusive ones. And when it comes to celebrating our heritage, he advises us to have an open mind, saying "Who we are as Americans is this: a people ever arguing over who we are as Americans."

Liu's address was delivered December 7, 2019, at the Town Hall Forum as part of Citizen University's Civic Saturday, the civic analog to a faith gathering.

Eric Liu says we are all "gardeners" of our democracy and our community. He says we ought to pay more attention to our roots and root systems and know what it is we believe and why. Liu believes we are a mixed, intermingled group of gardeners tending a mixed, intermingled plot. He admits it's a complicated concoction, but if we tend it just right the result could be new forms of civic responsibility. Other speakers include Citizen University's Jená Cane and Taneum Fotheringill, and poet Ebo Barton.

This address was delivered at El Centro de la Raza as part of Citizen University's Civic Saturday, the civic analog to a faith gathering.

Civic Seminarian Kristin Leong leads a special presentation of Civic Saturday, introducing guest speaker Aliyah Musaliar, a first-year student at the University of Washington. Musaliar reveals her turmoil as she wrestles with the only question people seem to be focused on: What are you going to be? And that leads to even greater anxiety for Musaliar since the predetermined path her parents envision does not align with her own interests. This, she says, is the reality for many members of Generation Z. "We're told to dream big, but those dreams need to be kept in check by how the market is fluctuating," said Musaliar in an address delivered April 27, 2019, at Hillman City Collaboratory as part of Citizen University's Civic Saturday, the civic analog to a faith gathering.

Eric Liu refers to America's favorite pastime, baseball, to help answer the question, what does it mean to be responsible? He says there are two ways to interpret this. First, what is it we should expect to be blamed for or held to account? Second, what ways are we living up to obligation or expectation? He says both are at play as our political culture has increasingly favored one definition over the other, often with negative consequences. Liu says to move forward we need to recommit ourselves to our duties: to connect, cultivate, circulate, and question ourselves. Liu's address was delivered April 6, 2019, at the Impact Hub Seattle as part of Citizen University's Civic Saturday, the civic analog to a faith gathering.

Citizen University visits El Centro de la Raza for a special edition of Civic Saturday. As the country celebrates Black History Month, host Eric Liu cites the readings of abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglas to provide context to the term liberation. But Liu goes a step beyond, exploring the full arc that runs from slavery to liberation to freedom. He reminds us that liberation is not freedom. Liberation is only the removal of oppression. Freedom, on the other hand, is much more than the removal of restraints. With freedom comes great responsibility. Liu provides a vivid example, sharing a personal story from his childhood in upstate New York. Civic Saturday is the civic analogue to a faith gathering. It celebrates the American civic tradition with a "Beyond Liberation" address by Liu, special readings, small-group discussions and reflection.

Citizen University: Year in Review 2018 looks back at 'What is Civics?'  We highlight the ways to practice civics in our community, as well as participating with your neighbors through Civic Saturdays.

Citizen University presents a special edition of Civic Saturday from its home turf at Impact Hub Seattle. Host Eric Liu explores the topic of time and citizenship, focusing on three aspects of time that shape our civic lives: tempo, horizons, and patterns. Liu reminds us to move at our own tempos and to be intentional. But he admits that can be a challenge. Take Seattle, for example, he says the city is moving both too quickly and too slowly to deal with growth and that's led to turbulence in local politics. And what can baseball, Winston Churchill and Star Trek teach us about the patterns of time? Civic Saturday is a civic analogue to a faith gathering that celebrates the American civic tradition with an address by Liu, readings, song and reflection.

Host Eric Liu says "neighbor power" matters. Those who study relationships refer to it as "social cohesion." And according to a recent civic health report, Seattle ranks low on the national scale. Many Seattleites don't know their neighbors or share favors. Liu examines what it means to be a good neighbor and how fostering relationships at the neighborhood level helps the broader community. And hear from local residents who are part of the team cleaning and restoring the Duwamish River. Plus, Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods shares innovative ways to build neighbor power.

Citizen University TV makes a stop at the Fremont Abbey for a special presentation of Civic Saturday. In his "civic sermon," Eric Liu reminds us, "It's a Free Country." But when he explores that notion it reveals much about who we are as a nation. As Alexis de Tocqueville noted in "Democracy in America," we are both "independent and weak." Liu adds context to that belief by discussing three themes that are deeply connected: freedom, loneliness and help. His thoughts are both eye-opening and uplifting. Civic Saturday is a civic analogue to a faith gathering that celebrates the American civic tradition with an address by Liu, readings, song and reflection. The unique civic experience aims to instill a spirit of shared purpose - with liberty, equality and self-government at the heart.

How do you get city hall to listen to your concerns? As we continue this season's civics lesson, host Eric Liu explains how to get the attention of local powerbrokers and what to do once you have their ear. He highlights successful workers' rights campaigns and talks with Clara Cantor of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, a volunteer organization that advocates for safe streets. Cantor recounts the long road to a recent victory that will result in improvements to Seattle's bike network.

Behind many important social and political movements are community organizers. Citizen University TV host Eric Liu examines an age-old tool of the art of civics with a look at how community organizing can upend the status quo and how simple acts can lead to powerful actions. He reviews the legacy of some well-known local leaders and looks at how people in the Northwest are responding to current crises surrounding addiction, hunger, gentrification and growth. Guest Katie Wilson, general secretary of the Transit Riders Union, discusses how the group's mission has expanded beyond public transit to include advocating for the rights of the working poor. Plus, sit in with us at a seminar co-hosted by Seattle's Somali Family Safety Task Force designed to help women targeted in our community because they are Muslim, minorities, immigrants, or all three.

Citizen University TV hits the road with a special presentation of Civic Saturday from the Northwest African American Museum. Host Eric Liu hits "rewind" with a fascinating journey back in time, decade by decade. Liu recounts pivotal moments in history when he had the foresight to warn people of what was to come. But his talk is more than a flashback. The lessons learned from Liu's time travel are revealed in five separate truths. Ultimately, he says hindsight is foresight if we know how to see. Civic Saturday is a community gathering that celebrates the American civic tradition with an address by Liu, readings, song and reflection.

Citizen rights are frequently top of mind, but host Eric Liu turns our attention to responsibilities. "Civic engagement isn't just voting or saying yes to jury duty. The new civic engagement is running for office,"according to the founder of an online service that helps organize campaigns and manage political offices. We'll profile some local school board members (elected on their first try) who share what they learned on the campaign trail. And our in-studio guest talks about her unsuccessful run for office and how she landed a job at City Hall anyway. While running for office is challenging, Liu explains the reward is the evolution of community solutions.

Citizen University TV hits the road with a special presentation of Civic Saturday, a series of community gatherings designed to instill a spirit of shared purpose - with liberty, equality and self-government at the heart. And when you add singing, poetry, readings and speeches, you get a lively and unique civic experience. Eric Liu explores the question: Who really is a dreamer? Responding to Donald Trump's recent comment that, "Americans are dreamers, too," Liu fires back, "Dreamers are American, too." His civic talk at the Hillman City Collaboratory centers on young undocumented immigrants, who under the DREAM Act would have been able to achieve a pathway to citizenship, and an exploration of the American Dream and what it means for the insiders and outsiders in American life.