Unity

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy’s latest Vanderbilt Unity Index shows the country continuing its trend toward more polarization, ending 2023 down nearly three points from the start of the year. Read More

Vanderbilt celebrated its “bedrock principle” of free speech through a series of panels and discussions Oct. 10–17 during the university’s inaugural celebration of national Free Speech Week. Read More

Findings from the Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy's third quarterly poll show that only one-fifth of Americans believe that everyday citizens are united when it comes to the most pressing issues facing the country, and less than two-fifths believe that Americans are likely to unite in the future. While there is not a lot of optimism about unity in the country, there is agreement on the high value of freedom of speech and expression. Read More

This Unity Dinner will center on the project’s pillar “Race in America: Toward a Nation of Equality.” This pillar focuses on the historical and present-day impacts of racism in America and how we can work toward a more equal and just society.  Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, including an undergraduate course, encourages civil discourse during a time of deep polarization. Read More

In partnership with Vanderbilt’s Department of English and MFA Program in Creative Writing, the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy is soliciting poems from students currently enrolled in any Tennessee college or university. Students may submit a poem in the style of their choosing that explores what unity through American democracy means to them. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host CBS Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett and David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, to discuss their book, The Big Truth: Upholding Democracy in the Age of the Big Lie, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 11 a.m. at the Scarritt Bennett Center. Read More

Bestselling authors Peter Baker and Susan Glasser will join Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Jon Meacham for an evening of discussion Dec. 7 surrounding the legacy of the Trump presidency and the midterm elections’ potential impact on our country’s fractured politics. Read More

With consequential midterm elections less than one month away, the Vanderbilt University Debate Team will host an intercollegiate debate this weekend on how to improve U.S. election processes and boost voter turnout. The event will be on Saturday, Oct. 15, at The Commons Center Multipurpose Room. Read More

Americans’ general faith and trust in democracy has stabilized in the first half of 2022, remaining relatively flat through the second quarter, according to the most recent Vanderbilt Unity Index. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier participated in a conversation titled “The Path Forward for Academic Freedom in Higher Ed” as part of the world-renowned Aspen Ideas Festival on June 29. The panel set out to explore the “twin ideals of open inquiry and free expression” as well as higher education’s unique role in advancing these forces. Read More

The first two episodes of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy’s “Unity Talks” series are now available for viewing. In episode one, Arts and Science Dean John Geer speaks with New York Times national political correspondent Jonathan Martin, and in episode two, former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam speaks with Yuval Levin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Read More

Vanderbilt University and the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host a panel discussion on the evolving crisis between Russia and Ukraine. The virtual event on Thursday, Feb. 24, is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Read More

Vanderbilt Law School professor Michael Vandenbergh will discuss bipartisan efforts to address climate change and sustainability with environmental activist Benji Backer in a virtual event on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 12:30 p.m. hosted by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier spoke to students in the Unity and American Democracy course Nov. 30 and used his talk in part to discuss the fundamental purpose of universities: to teach students “not what to think, but how to think.” Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host a virtual discussion with three former and current municipal leaders to talk about how local strategies can be effective at the national level. The event will stream Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 12:30 p.m. CT. Read More

A group of Vanderbilt scholars with legal, historical and political expertise on immigration came together Oct. 19 to discuss the crisis around Haitian migrants at the southern U.S. border and the recent influx of Afghan refugees to the United States. Read More

The contentious policy and political battles that led to legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States were highlighted in an in-person and virtual talk by journalist and author Sasha Issenberg at Sarratt Cinema on Oct. 11, marking the 33rd anniversary of National Coming Out Day.   Read More

“Immigration and Inclusion: Who Decides Who Belongs in America,” a panel of Vanderbilt history and legal scholars and political scientists, will discuss the evolving definition of “citizen” throughout the course of American history and the shift toward inclusiveness. The virtual event will be broadcast on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at noon CT. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy hosted a virtual event, “The Hill Staffers Who Make Congress Go Round,” on Thursday, Sept. 30, at 12:30 p.m. CT. Read More