How We’re Supporting Democracy in Turbulent Times

Marking the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, “the courage of people everywhere who are shaping their societies through dialogue, participation, and trust” are more vital than ever “at a time when democracy and the rule of law are under assault from disinformation, division, and shrinking civic space.”

It’s hard to not think of the violence that has ravaged our society in recent days, as we look toward the future of democracy in America. There are many ways to participate in this, our shared republic, yet those avenues of participation are feeling very much under attack right now.

In healthy democracies, it is imperative to be able to speak freely, to have access to an education, to enjoy the freedom to practice your religion without fear, and to be able to live a life unencumbered by fears of retribution just for being who you are.

Yet, on Sept. 11, a day of somber remembrance for thousands of lives lost, Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a political event in Utah. Agree with his views or not, he was, in the words of UN Secretary Guterres, “shaping society through dialogue, participation, and trust.”

That same day, a teenager shot and injured two of his classmates in a high school in Colorado, before turning the gun on himself.

These events come just two weeks after two children were killed and 17 others injured after a shooter opened fire during a Catholic school Mass in Minnesota.

This kind of gun violence is all too common in America, and it should go without saying that these kinds of acts undermine the strength and potential of what our democracy could look like. But, we’ll go ahead and reiterate it anyway.

In a healthy democracy, no one should be afraid of speaking their mind.

No one should be worried about encountering violence while going to school.

No one should be fearful of violence while practicing their religion.

Yet, here we are.

To solve the ever-growing problems of division, we at the Ally seek to empower our community through our mission of providing facts and context that help everyone better participate in our shared democracy. This International Day of Democracy, we hope you consider the small ways in which you can help strengthen and support democratic practices in our everyday lives. Whether that’s getting to know your neighbors a bit more, volunteering at a nonprofit organization you care about, or maybe supporting an independent publication working to build those civic spaces we desperately need, we all have a part to play.

Because at the end of the day, we’re all in this together.

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Celebrating the Ally’s work in Civics

Given that it’s the International Day of Democracy, we wanted to take a moment to share some of the work we’ve done over the past year in helping to educate and empower our community through civics reporting and explanatory journalism.

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This work is made possible by Press Forward, a national coalition investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms and close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage. Donate to join the movement and support coverage on civics, climate and community in the Sierra Nevada region.