Five Days for Democracy: A Community-Wide Civic Lesson with a Twist

The City Club of Cleveland and nine local libraries are teaming up for a civic challenge. It’s called Five Days for Democracy – a week dedicated to reminding us why democracy matters and engaging all of us in keeping it strong. The challenge will run from Monday, September 28 through Friday, October 2.

“Our decisions this fall will have a lasting impact on our city, state and country, so we must engage and inspire each other this election,” said Dan Moulthrop, CEO of The City Club of Cleveland.

Inspired by the YWCA Greater Cleveland 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, Five Days for Democracy is designed to ignite conversation and motivate people to learn about their government and their role to protect it. Each day, readers will explore different facets of our democracy and pick one challenge to complete.

Registered participants will receive a daily email during the length of the project that outlines a handful of easy challenges — reading a book, listening to a podcast, watching a video, or responding to a call to action. All activities will embolden participants to reflect on the theme and relate it to their own lives.

The week will culminate with The City Club forum on Friday, October 2 at 12:30 p.m. featuring Pulitzer Prize winner and Anisfield-Wolf Book Award honoree for Lifetime Achievement Dr. Eric Foner who will speak on lessons from the Reconstruction Era and the contemporary struggle for freedom and equality.

Five Days for Democracy also features a curated collection of books to encourage those whose curiosity is sparked to dig deeper and learn more about our democracy.

“On behalf of all libraries, we are excited to collaborate with The City Club on Five Days for Democracy,” said Felton Thomas, Jr., Executive Director and CEO of Cleveland Public Library. “This project is a toolkit for understanding and offers practical applications for becoming an engaged citizen.”

“Partnering with our libraries to bring this project to life made perfect sense. They provide such great services and value to our communities and already support everyone participating in the U.S. Census and the 2020 election,” said Noelle Celeste, Director of Advancement for The City Club of Cleveland.

“Our hope is Five Days for Democracy inspires more people to get counted, cast a ballot, and get active in democracy,” Thomas, Jr. remarks.

Two important civic duties occur during the Five Days for Democracy:

• Census Due Date: Wednesday, September 30
• Voter Registration Deadline: Monday, October 5

“From funding for roads, schools, and libraries to representation in Congress, there is a lot at stake in 2020. The City Club created Five Days for Democracy to educate, empower, and help Clevelanders deepen their commitment and involvement in government,” said Moulthrop. “At the end of this project, more people will know their power and civic responsibility in a democracy. Participation is the only way we get to keep it.” 

For more information and to sign up, visit the Five Days for Democracy website. Join the conversation on social media using #5days4democracy.

About Five Days for Democracy

The City of Cleveland and nine library systems in Cuyahoga County join forces for Five Days for Democracy—a week dedicated to spending just a little bit of time each day thinking about what democracy means, why it’s important, and why it’s worth fighting for.

Registered participants will receive an email each day packed with opportunities to explore different facets of our democracy, in all its aspirations and failings. From listening to a podcast to watching a video, reading an article, or responding to a call to action, each day readers will pick one challenge to complete.

Five days. Five challenges. Five ways to strengthen our democracy. For more information, visit cityclub.org/fivedays.