Past Events Archive

National Treasure (2004) follows historian and cryptologist Benjamin Franklin Gates as he races to find a legendary Templar treasure, steals the Declaration of Independence, and evades a rival team of mercenaries.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Years after the onset of the Clone Wars, the noble Jedi Order leads a massive clone army into a galaxy-wide war against the Separatists. When the sinister Sith unveils a thousand-year-old plot to rule the galaxy, the Republic crumbles and from its ashes arises the evil Galactic Empire. Anakin Skywalker is seduced by the dark side of the Force to become the Emperor’s new apprentice.

Selma is a 2014 historical drama directed by Ava DuVernay that chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dangerous 1965 campaign for equal voting rights, culminating in the historic marches from Selma to Montgomery and the signing of the Voting Rights Act.

The Words That Built America is a 2017 HBO Documentary Films special directed by Alexandra Pelosi and narrated by historian David McCullough. It features diverse Americans—including U.S. presidents, politicians, journalists, and school children—reading the text of three foundational U.S. documents.

Disagree Better, in partnership with the University of Michigan, will bring together Governors from across the political spectrum for a panel discussion on reviving America’s democracy through healthy conflict and constructive dialogue.

Kicking off the University of Michigan’s Democracy Week as the keynote event, and in the lead-up to the November 2026 elections, the conversation will highlight our shared civic values and spotlight leaders modeling disagreement as a civic skill. At a time when higher education is often the epicenter of polarization, this partnership offers a tangible way to model constructive conflict resolution and champion civic engagement in our Leaders.

The event offers students and members of the University community an opportunity to engage directly with elected leaders who are disagreeing better and charting a new path for democracy, one characterized by passion, determination, dignity, and respect.

Sponsoring Organizations: Center for Democracy & Civic Empowerment, Wallace House Center for Journalists, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Disagree Better, Detroit PBS

Conflict is necessary for progress, but polarization is a threat to our stability. The goal of the workshop is to equip students with the tools to navigate difficult conversations without sacrificing their principles or their peer's dignity.

Students attending this workshop will receive a free copy of Off Ramp: How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt by Spencer Cox.

Registration not required but encouraged: https://forms.gle/ighRo31TcG2exqBt8

Sponsoring Organizations: Disagree Better, Center for Democracy & Civic Empowerment

After the 9/11 attacks, once the smoke cleared and the rubble was removed, New Yorkers had a city to rebuild. There was one fundamental question: no one could agree on the future of Ground Zero. Some wanted the towers back, while others believed the site should remain a memorial. Then, a single event changed everything…

Then the city decided to do one of the bravest—or stupidest—things in the history of city planning. They gathered 5,000 representative New Yorkers into the largest town hall in American history to vote on the city’s six proposals. People expected chaos and yelling. But instead, the representatives rejected all the proposals and this top-down approach and successfully charted a new path forward. It was this meeting that determined what is at Ground Zero today.

Register here

While modern elections are the most secure in our history, voting in early America was rife with election fraud. We’ll dive into the history of voting in the United States in the 19th century, from stuffed ballot boxes, counterfeit ballots, and the tools developed to combat fraud.

Landon is the Program Manager for the Initiative for Democracy & Civic Empowerment at the University of Michigan. He is fascinated by the mechanics of elections and has been collecting antique voting machines, ballot boxes, and other election materials for more than five years.

Americans in all 50 States and 16 Territories of the United States will read the Declaration of Independence as part of 'Sharing the Spirit of America.'

At the University of Michigan, the event will take place on the Diag. The reading will start promptly at 6:00 p.m. -- arrive early to get a red, white, and blue popsicle and U-M U.S. at 250 stickers!

Gerald Ford Jr. grew up in a region of the nation heavily shaped by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Ford Presidential Foundation Executive Director Gleaves Whitney will unpack the significance of this jewel among America’s forgotten founding documents and discuss its impact on the civic and political culture in which our 38th President worked. Lecture will be followed by a free reception.

Too often Detroit has been viewed as a site of social and economic problems, and not as a source of solutions or strategies for the future. With partners at Bridge Detroit, the University of Michigan Detroit Center is hosting a series of public panel discussions exploring the struggles and achievements of local grassroots movements who have confronted the challenges of the 21st century–from food deserts and environmental racism to gentrification and violence–with the grit and spirit of innovation that defines the spirit of the Motor City. Come join the conversation, and learn the lessons that Detroit has to teach the nation and the world