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Hello Everybody, it’s Morgan.
I’ll never forget a heartwrenching school board meeting back when I had just joined the board in Akron, Ohio.
One mom stepped up to the microphone, nervous but passionate, and spoke about a problem in our schools that was affecting her family. Then she sat down, and the next person got up. One by one, people shared their stories. And under board policy, my colleagues and I sat there, silent.
After the meeting, that same mom came up to me. Tears slid down her cheeks as she || said, “No matter what I say, nothing will ever change.”
My heart sank. I could see her despair. And honestly? I felt it too. The system wasn’t built for problem-solving. It was built for letting citizens vent and then moving on.
Years later, I joined Unify America. In 2023, our team led a Civic Assembly in Montrose, Colorado. For 12 weeks, 46 residents from across the political spectrum rolled up their sleeves, learned from one another, and worked together on real solutions to the shortage of childcare in their community.


Democracy, reimagined. 65 random Akronites are solving housing together... no fighting, just shared goals. This is deliberative democracy.
A student arrived at the Unify Challenge nervous and over-prepared — and left with something she never expected: genuine connection.
Agreement was never the goal. Here's what 3,600 hours of student dialogue across 44 campuses taught us about real conversation.