Re-stitching the Fabric of our Democracy

Video of WeTalk - Re-Stitching the Fabric of our Democracy for the 21st Century

The founding leaders of Interfaith America, author Eboo Patel, and Manu Meel of BridgeUSA, visited Kalamazoo October 5 and 6, 2022 to share how their organizations work with institutions and individuals to build a more diverse and just democracy. They hosted student-focused events and a campus/community conversation. Learn what these national civic leaders had to say about how to strengthen the social fabric of our campus and community in the video!

Interfaith America's mission is to inspire, equip, and connect leaders and institutions to unlock the potential of America’s religious diversity. BridgeUSA, a youth-led nonprofit, creates spaces on high school and college campuses for open discussion between students about political issues.

We Need to Build Eboo Patel book cover Patel's most recent book, "We Need To Build: Fieldnotes For Diverse Democracy" has been described as an "essential handbook" for activists ready to move from resistance to rebuilding a world of justice.

Copies of the book are available for checkout at Waldo Library and to purchase at this is a bookstore & Bookbug.

Patel's opinion column published Sept. 6 by Inside Higher Ed: "Teach Your Students To Be Builders, Not Critics."

Art Beat: Building a diverse democracy
WMUK interview with Eboo Patel by Zinta Aistars

Manu Meel is passionate about empowering young people to bridge divides. Named one of Forbes 30 under 30, Manu believes that polarization is the biggest threat to American democracy. As CEO of BridgeUSA, Manu is leading the largest and fastest-growing student movement to bridge our differences and change how we talk about politics.

visit itinerary
Wednesday, Oct. 5

7:30 p.m.
Student pizza party with Manu Meel
Help us welcome Manu Meel to campus! Join us for free Jet's pizza and learn more about BridgeUSA!
Location: Bernhard Center main lobby--Register in ExperienceWMU

Thursday, Oct. 6

10 a.m.
Breakfast with Manu Meel
President's Dining Room, Bernhard Center
For WMU RSO leaders (invite extended via ExperienceWMU)

How can student organizations affect positive change on college campuses? Manu Meel will talk about his experiences as a student leader/activist at University of California–Berkeley that put him on the path to become founder and CEO of BridgeUSA, a youth-powered organization focused on bringing constructive, political discourse back to our college campuses.