DMC McKenzie Civic Fellow, Lauren Lockhart, recently completed the “NextGen Bama Community” series, a program hosted by the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice. Alabama Appleseed addresses the intersection of mass incarceration and racial and economic justice through research, policy change campaigns, coalition building, and direct action, utilizing civic engagement practices to spread awareness and action across the state. Facilitated by Communications and Development Manager, Megan Cheek, these meetings aimed to gather young and young-at-heart people, who are dedicated to a better Alabama, and provide them with the information, resources, and space to work towards addressing these issues.

On Thursday, April 27th, the DMC hosted Keys to the City partners, Hollie Cost and Herman Lehman, to facilitate a deliberative forum about food insecurity in Montevallo and the surrounding areas, utilizing the Land of Plenty issue guide from the National Issues Forums Institute. This forum was part of the National Week of Conversation movement.

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life and PACERS Rural Community Newspaper Network hosted the 2023 Conference & Workshop on Friday, April 14th, and Saturday, April 15th. Over 40 journalists and Jean O’Connor Snyder interns across the state met at the Rotunda and the Mathews Center office at the American Village to get to know each other and learn about the techniques and importance of rural journalism.

DMC McKenzie Civic Fellow, Lauren Lockhart, recently attended the first two sessions of “NextGen Bama Community,” a four-part series presented by the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice. Alabama is one of the poorest states in America, while having one of the highest incarceration rates. Alabama Appleseed confronts these challenges with research, policy change campaigns, coalition building, and direct action, focusing on the intersection of economic and racial justice and mass incarceration. Facilitated by Communications and Development Manager, Megan Cheek, these meetings aim to gather young and young-at-heart people, who are dedicated to a better Alabama, and provide them with the information, resources, and space to work towards addressing these issues.

DMC Education Director Zara Greene recently completed a three-part professional development series with The Morgan Project. This organization, whose mission is to teach civil rights through Birmingham’s history of conflict and courage, provides active and meaningful programs that work to teach and celebrate Black history. Their workshop series provides classroom and community educators with an increased understanding of Birmingham’s civil rights history and supplies the tools necessary for effective instruction and dissemination.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Deep Singh reports on how Jasper Main Street has boosted the development of downtown while encouraging young people to join the movement and help revitalize their hometown.

On August 3rd, the David Mathews Center for Civic Life hosted the fourth annual workshop of the Innovators in Civic Education Fellows. Teacher Fellows assist the DMC in educational programming by providing valuable insight on how to create the most relevant and useful resources for educators, both in the classroom and the community.

The DMC is happy to welcome Lauren Lockhart to our team! Lauren will serve as a McKenzie Civic Fellow at the DMC for 2022-23. During her service year, Lauren will assist in the DMC’s civic education programming for students, educators, schools, and communities. Additionally, she will assist the Center in a variety of roles, including helping plan and run this year’s Civic Institute!

In partnership with the Mobile Creole Cultural and Historical Preservation Society and the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the University of South Alabama JOIPs stepped back in time with their summer project.

In late 2021, the DMC was contacted by Auburn University Outreach to join the Securing Identification for Individuals who are Incarcerated Project (SIIIP) by hosting a series of convenings in Montgomery throughout the spring. Six months later, the project has helped forty-one individuals receive their identification and is poised to help many more in the future.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Brin Allen tells the story of two cousins meeting a local need while creating a welcoming community space through their small business.

The Alabama League of Municipalities hosted its 2022 Annual Conference in Tuscaloosa from Wednesday, May 11 to Friday, May 13. DMC Executive Director Rachel Mosness presented a concurrent session to gathered municipal leaders on “How to Have Constructive Conversations with Citizens.”