Community Conversation Mar. 7

How do we encourage civic engagement to foster a greater sense of community in Lexington? And how do we encourage people to get involved when some issues can be divisive and hard to talk about with people on the other side?

What do you think makes a good citizen? What makes someone feel a part of a community — or excluded from it? Our panelists and attendees will wrestle with what it means to be engaged: voting, serving as an elected official, advocating for yourself or others, speaking and demonstrating, attending meetings, and volunteering on committees. How do you do this when life already feels overcrowded and there are too many demands on your time?

This is the second in a series of conversations co-sponsored by the Lexington Lyceum Advocates and LexObserver.

Panelists:

Dr. Ofrit Liviatan is a lecturer on law and politics at Harvard’s Department of Government. Dr. Liviatan’s research interests and award-winning teachings focus on divided societies and the role of legal and political mechanisms in the accommodation of diversity.
Mike Barrett is State Senator for nine Massachusetts communities — Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lincoln, Waltham, Weston, and large parts of Lexington and Sudbury.
Jerren Chang is the co-founder & CEO of GenUnity – a Boston-based nonprofit that brings diverse residents – from ‘proximate experts’ experiencing an issue (e.g., Housing Insecurity) to ‘siloed experts’ working in relevant institutions (e.g., Boston Housing Authority) – together to drive change.
Anil Ahuja is a Lexington Town Meeting Member and a Member of the Lexington Appropriation Committee. He is the current President of Indian-Americans Getting Involved Group (iGIG). 

​Come to talk, share, question, listen, and learn! More information below
Further reading on this topic is listed below and available on the Lexington Lyceum Advocates website

March 7, 7:00-8:45 p.m.
Lexington Community Center
program will begin promptly at 7:00; please plan to arrive early to be settled