How We Gather is How We Citizen (7th story)
What if we started off with DANCE?
Happy Easter! Today we bring you the seventh story in our Week of Citizening. Just one more to go!
Today’s focus: with so many forces ripping us apart, how we come together matters. The SeaCHANGE conference in small-town Maine shows us a joy-filled, embodied way.
Check out today’s story in this Instagram Reel or the LinkedIn version.
Today we bring you Story #7 in our Week of Citizening.
It’s where SeaCHANGE unfolds: a multiracial, multi-everything gathering co-created by folks including Najee Brown, Beth Tener, and Robert Sapiro. It’s a conference, yes—but not the kind you’re used to.
There are no stale keynotes or rigid panels. It opens with dance. It’s infused with movement, art, shared meals, and human warmth. It creates space for belonging, especially for artists of color. And it shows what’s possible when we gather with intention.
This is what it looks like to citizen:
🎨 Use creativity to bridge divides
🧠 Design gatherings for meaning, not just agendas
🕺🏽 Move together to move forward—with trust, joy, and belonging
In a time of division and disconnection, intentional gathering is a form of resistance. And SeaCHANGE is leading the way.
One of my favorite How To Citizen podcast episodes featured the Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. This story is an embodiment of many of her principles.
💬 What other person, space, or event is rethinking how we come together?
Visit stories.howtocitizen.com, join our list, and let us know you have a story to share. You can also comment on this post, reply or tag us on IG/LinkedIn. These stories are everywhere — and we need them more than ever.
🎥 Video produced by Tess Novotnoy. This story series is a collaborative effort of Shira Abramowitz, Jon Alexander, Elizabeth Stewart, and Baratunde Thurston.
Let’s citizen!
Here’s a link to all our stories so far:
Our kickoff launch post featuring Baratunde and Jon Alexander.
1st story: libraries as civic powerhouses
2nd story: on “participatory layoffs”
3rd story: overcoming divisions on a school board
4th story: best way to help? start with listening.
6th story: everyday people taking over the political process in West Virginia
We’ve reactivated the How To Citizen podcast feed with these stories, so check Apple Podcasts or your own podcast player if you prefer audio.
I love this!!! One of the therapist groups I am part of has a conference where we do a couple days of intense, meaningful process work and finish up with a big dance party. The connection in all of that is so beautiful :)