The Cure for America’s Civic Virus
Are you tired of hearing that we are a polarized nation and can’t move forward? Rich Harwood, renowned speaker and author of the groundbreaking new report, Civic Virus: Why Polarization Is a Misdiagnosis, is touring the country to help communities make sense of what’s going on in America and work together to create a more hopeful path forward.
“The time has come for us to co-create our future and articulate not simply what we are against, but more importantly, what we are for and what we are trying to build together.”
— Rich Harwood
— Rich Harwood
Watch Rich on Meet the Press Daily With Chuck Todd
What People are Saying
“Rich’s talk redirected my attention from the personal agenda I created in my mind and challenged me to consider the agenda of others to find a common thread.”
“WE CAN’T EXPRESS HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATED HIS PROGRAM. IT WAS EXCEPTIONAL!”
“We all have a significant role to play to look inside ourselves to lead or at least be part of the needed community of change. Inspiring.”
Highlights from the Tour
The Healing & Hope Tour kicked off in March 2022—here are a few highlights so far!
Featured
Ripon College, Ripon Wisconsin
Ripon College’s Center for Politics and the People and the Department of Psychology hosted a virtual event with Rich attended by students, faculty, local civic and political leaders, and media. It was an energizing and hopeful conversation with some great questions from attendees in politics and the press. Check out this great article from Ripon Commonwealth Press!
Jackson, Mississippi
Hosted by the Community Foundation for Mississippi, Rich’s event in Jackson has already sparked new partnerships and community action. After Rich’s presentation and engaging conversation with community leaders and residents in Jackson, the group’s in-depth discussions lasted through the evening and into the next day.
Stamford, Connecticut
Hosted by the City of Stamford and the Ferguson Public Library, with an introduction by Mayor Caroline Simmons, Rich brought the Healing & Hope message to Stamford, one of 16 communities that participated in the research for the Civic Virus report. As Mark G. Contreras President and CEO of Connecticut Public Broadcasting, Inc. said, Rich’s talk was “one of the most hopeful, inspirational and forward-looking talks I’ve heard in at least a decade.” Watch the full video here!
Benton Harbor, Michigan
The United Way of Southwest Michigan hosted a tour stop in October 2022, where Rich gave a keynote address acknowledging where we are as a country and within our communities and what calls us to action. Rich also joined a small group of leaders for an intimate roundtable discussion to explore their challenges and how they can deepen civic culture and bring people together across fault lines. Lorraine Day from Midwest Family shared, “The presentation today is making me think about what I can do as a catalyst in our community. How can I help us really move toward hope and healing?” Watch the full keynote address here.
Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, Florida
The Patterson Foundation hosted Rich for a series of events in Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, FL. Rich spoke pointedly about the vacuum in civic life and asked the audience, “Will you surrender to the groups that want to divide you and demonize people, or will you step forward into the public square and take back your community? The work is complicated, but the choice is not.” At each event, Rich connected with attendees, many of whom participated in our Public Innovator labs a decade ago and have been leveraging the Harwood approach to transform their work communities ever since. See Rich’s thoughts in his “On the Road” in Florida video.
Norfolk, Virginia
Rich spoke at the kickoff event for the City of Norfolk’s Ignite 2023! Spark Community Change initiative. Norfolk is eager to address the issues and challenges they face, like safety and affordable housing, that will improve the community for all who live there. Rich spoke to the ways they could take action immediately to work towards making this vision a reality. He also engaged with the Norfolk Neighborhood Services Team for a discussion around their innovative use of our approach in their work with their neighborhood civic leagues. Read Rich’s op-ed in the Virginian-Pilot about Norfolk’s work to build stronger communities.
Covington, Kentucky
Hosted by the Grantmakers of Kentucky in partnership with Philanthropy Southeast, Rich Harwood brought the Healing & Hope message to the annual Grantmakers of Kentucky meeting as their keynote speaker. Rich encouraged attendees to think about how they do their work, not just what they do. Rather than placing unrealistic expectations on grantees to represent the change society needs to move forward, Rich urged the group of funders to turn outward, focus on shared aspirations, and begin changing the way they engage in their communities.
St. Paul, Minnesota
In November, Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact hosted Rich in St. Paul, MN to speak with college and university presidents and their staff members about the civic mission of higher education – both on campus and in communities. Facing changing student and community needs in institutions that are steeped in tradition and slow to change, Rich challenged the group to consider, “How do we create a culture that encourages people to engage, produce, and ultimately create hope?” Watch Rich’s “On the Road” in St. Paul video to hear his takeaways from the discussion.
Florida Civic Advance
Rich joined Bob Jones for Florida Civic Advance’s Third Thursday Webinar series to explain what's really going on in America, and outline a practical, hopeful path forward. Cheri Coryea of the Patterson Foundation, our partner in Sarasota for the Civic Virus study, contributed her take on the report from a local point of view. Read Rich’s op-ed in Florida Politics about the challenges Florida faces when it comes to education written in advance of the webinar and view the webinar recording.
International Executive Resources Group
International Executive Resources Group held an exciting virtual event with near record-setting attendance, featuring Rich. On the webinar, Rich zeroed in on the challenges we collectively confront as a nation, the result of deepening divisions being created across the country intrinsically about social and psychological conditions such as fear, anxiety, and a lack of empathy and belonging, rather than about the often cited misdiagnosis of ideological polarization. The meeting was attended by IERG members and guests from the U.S., as well as Bulgaria, Spain, Jamaica, Colombia, and other countries around the world. View the recording of the webinar.