Deliberative Citizenship Initiative

Building Democracy One Conversation at a Time

The DCI Blog

Event Recap: Deliberative History Forum on the Power of Historical Narratives and Contested Histories

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Picture of panelists at history forum

Every spring, the DCI Fellows implement personal deliberation projects in which they organize deliberations on topics they are interested in. This year DCI Fellow Bosisso Charles Takougnadi (aka TBC) had a big idea for his project — he wanted to partner with the history department to host a forum on historical narratives and contested histories. This would be a challenging enterprise for a history major, but even as a biology major, TBC was undaunted. He reached out to the chair of the History Department, John Wertheimer, and they worked together to design an innovative event titled, “The Power of Historical Narratives and Contested Histories.” This panel-based deliberative discussion was designed to explore the ways historical narratives are constructed, contested, and interpreted in contemporary society. The event focused on how history is told, who gets to tell it, and how differing perspectives shape our understanding of the past and present.

DCI Fellow TBC, the main organizer of the event, introducing the panel.
DCI Fellow TBC, the main organizer of the event, introducing the panel.

This “Deliberative History Forum” — to our knowledge, the first of its kind at Davidson — was held on April 8, 2025, on the campus of Davidson College, and lasted approximately 120 minutes. The first 45 minutes was dedicated to remarks by a panel of Davidson history professors that included History Professors Jonathan Berkey, Jakub Kabala, Hilary Green, Dáša Mortensen, and John Wertheimer. The remaining 75 minutes was reserved for small group table discussions among the audience members. The panelists joined the conversations, which included approximately 30 students, faculty, and community members. The event was hosted in the New Football Stadium’s Gallery 18, which provided a communal space that worked well for both the panel and the small-group discussions.

The event opened with brief remarks from each panelist, who shared insights into how history can be framed through different political, social, and cultural lenses. Each discussed the forum’s topic based on their academic expertise, which ranged from the histories of the Middle East, medieval Europe, the United States, and East Asia. Their remarks helped set the stage for the audience’s deliberations together.

Audience discussing forum topic together around tables.

Following the panel, participants gathered around five tables for facilitated small-group discussions. Due to a shortage of DCI-certified facilitators, several attendees who had experience participating in D Teams stepped up to guide these conversations, which proved successful and enriching. Key topics of discussion included the role of historians in shaping public memory, how marginalized voices are often excluded from or misrepresented in mainstream narratives, and the impact of historical interpretation on present-day policies and identities.

Following the event, many expressed appreciation for the format and content of the event, especially the opportunity to engage with peers and faculty in meaningful dialogue. Participants also enjoyed the provided food (dinner from local restaurant Sabi), which helped create a welcoming and friendly atmosphere.

Overall, the project was a successful effort in fostering thoughtful dialogue on a timely and important subject. It demonstrated the value of collaborative, interdisciplinary events in building civic awareness and critical thinking among members of the campus community.

“Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion:” An On-the-Street Deliberative Video Series

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Image of face speaking some words flyer

Every spring, DCI Fellows implement their own personal deliberation project on a topic of their choice. DCI Fellow Fatima Mukasa ’28 wanted to use her project to reach a wide group of people who may not know much about deliberation or the DCI. She called her project, Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion, and it was inspired by the Tiktok page, “Read a Secret, Leave a Secret.”

Designed to foster open dialogue and critical thinking, the project invited students and faculty to anonymously share their perspectives on thought-provoking topics, which others then read and responded to. These responses were recorded and will be shared online, creating a broader platform for engagement. By encouraging open-mindedness and empathetic communication, the project aims to cultivate a space where diverse viewpoints can be expressed without stigma and aims to strengthen the Davidson community’s ability to navigate complex discussions with curiosity and respect.

She set up a table and camera near the flagpole outside Chambers, the main classroom building on campus, and asked students passing by in between classes to share their perspective on a topic by writing it down on a piece of paper and leaving it on the table. They could also pick up an opinion that was left by someone else and respond to it — on camera for 30-60 seconds. Fatima then compiled these recordings into a short video that we’ve shared below and will also be shared on social media for the broader community to view and engage with. Fatima’s hope is that her project will foster a space where people feel as though they can share their opinions and can engage with other viewpoints, allowing them to be more open-minded, more engaged, and more effective communicators.

The topics that Fatima chose were the same topics being discussed by the DCI’s D Teams, and she hosted her table a week or so after each set of D Team discussions were completed. She and other DCI Fellows included some opinions that D Team participants raised (without attribution) on the table for her visitors to respond to, creating a nice connection between these two DCI programs. Students who were on a D Team could also stop by and share their perspectives that might have come up during their discussions.

Check out Fatima’s three “Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion” videos below — the topics are the opioid epidemic, lessons learned from COVID, and healthcare reform, the compilations feature the voices of numerous Davidson students…

The Opioid Epidemic: A DCI “Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion” Video Compilation

Lessons Learned from COVID: A DCI “Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion” Video Compilation

Healthcare Reform: A DCI “Take an Opinion, Leave an Opinion” Video Compilation

A Deliberative Forum on Free Expression at Davidson

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In a recent email to students, faculty, staff, alumni, family, and friends of Davidson, President Hicks highlighted how “determining where the specific boundaries and tensions between the freedom to speak and the responsibilities associated with mutual respect is one of the hardest questions that we as a college community confront—in this moment and in all moments.” In order to identify, explore, and understand those boundaries and tensions, the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative is co-hosting a Deliberative Forum on “Free Expression at Davidson: Rights and Responsibilities during an Uncertain Time” (click here to register).

Planned for April 23 from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Lilly Gallery and online, the forum will begin with remarks by several speakers who will address this topic. The speakers include Ike Bailey ’95 (Professor of the Practice in Communication Studies), Melissa Gonzalez (Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Latin American Studies), Dan Layman (Associate Professor of Philosophy), Jim Martin ’57 (Former Davidson Associate Professor of Chemistry and Former Governor of North Carolina), Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill (Director of the Campus Free Expression Project, Council of Independent Colleges) and Stacey Riemer (Interim Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students). The event will be moderated by Graham Bullock, Associate Professor of Political Science and Faculty Director of the DCI.

The speakers will explore three related themes and questions:

  1. The Nature and Importance of Freedom of Expression: Why do we value it in a democratic society and in higher education?
  2. The Nature of Responsible Freedom of Expression: What are reasonable limits on our right to “free speech?”
  3. Davidson College’s Approach to Freedom of Expression and the Student Code of Responsibility: How does and how should the College respond to concerns about the expression of particular viewpoints on campus?

They will be followed by an opportunity for audience members to explore these topics with one another in roundtable and breakout room discussions, guided by the DCI’s trained facilitators and a deliberation guide developed for this event.

Food will be provided, and everyone is welcome to join. We only ask that participants stay for the full two hours and both listen to the speakers as well as participate in the audience conversations. Seats are limited so sign up today to reserve your spot and receive a copy of the deliberation guide in advance of the forum.

Register Here!

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Check out the Free Expression at Davidson Deliberation Guide that we have developed for this forum below:

DCI-Free-Expression-Deliberation-Guide

Apply Today to Become a 2025-26 DCI Student Felllow!

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Each year, the DCI selects 12-15 students to serve as Deliberative Citizenship Fellows. These fellows spend the year playing a leadership role in the initiative. They immerse themselves in deliberative theory and methods, help choose the issues for the year’s focus, facilitate robust deliberations on those issues, and reflect on and document their experiences as sponsors of these discussions.

Applications for the 2025-26 Fellowship Program are now open. All Davidson students are welcome to apply. To submit your application, please complete the ‘Deliberative Citizenship Initiative – Fellows Application’ form on WildcatSync. The priority application deadline is May 9. Applications will remain open and new submissions accepted on a rolling basis until all positions have been filled by qualified candidates. To learn more and apply for this opportunity, check out the short videos about the program that features several of the DCI’s past fellows and the additional information below.

2025-25 Fellows Share Their Thoughts on the DCI Fellows Program

2023-24 Fellows Share Their Thoughts on the DCI Fellows Program

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DCI-Fellows-2025-26-Job-Description

The Value in Seeing Others’ End Goals

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two figures facing each other, blue and red, with a star between them.

Owen Brent-Levenstein ’27 (DCI Fellow)

As a kid I understood the difference between Democrats and Republicans as this: Republicans take from the poor to give to the rich, while Democrats take from the rich to give to the poor. With this dichotomy, the choice was obvious. One side was the moral choice, wanting what was best for the world, while the other side was greedy, wanting to keep as much for themselves and exploit others to do so.

However, my experience facilitating a discussion after the DCI Income and Wealth Disparities forum showed how this assumption about people’s morals was not true. 12-year-old me would think that anyone arguing against policies such as redistribution or higher minimum wage were greedy and unsympathetic. In listening to the wide array of arguments across the spectrum of political ideologies, it was clear that this was not the case.

Someone who worked with unions talked about how high minimum wages have incentivized automation, meaning even more people lost jobs. Another member talked about the fear of how higher taxes and inflation can end up devastating the lower and middle class. Whether I agreed with what they said or not, one thing was clear, these views came from a desire to create the best world and economy for the majority of people, a goal that lined up exactly with mine.

This helped show me that finding common end goals can help everyone be more receptive to the other side. The goal can be as specific as wanting higher wages for all and as vague as wanting a better world for the majority of people. When everyone can realize they are working towards the same result, it can bring the group closer together and can turn a heated argument into more of an intellectual disagreement.

When the group can establish a clear end goal, it naturally brings them together. It’s easy to see the other side in a malicious light when you feel like their opinion is so far from your own. It makes it even worse when you feel as if their value system is far different, and doubt whether their morals are in line with your own. Finding a common goal can quell a lot of these doubts and points of tension between groupmates, and in turn rally the group around solving the common goal. It transforms points of heavy contention into a group problem-solving effort, bringing a sense of comradery and commonality to the deliberation.

Finding a common end goal also turns the discussion from more of an emotionally charged event, towards an intellectual disagreement. The more we are able to see that both sides are morally fighting for similar goals, we can focus the discussion on the specifics of how to achieve those goals. This can lessen the emotions that come with the topic that is being deliberated and allow participants to focus more on the logic and reasoning behind the arguments.

Overall, finding a common end goal, no matter how vague it is, can bring the deliberating group together, and turn the deliberation from a tense argument to a constructive problem-solving exercise.