We are in an ironic moment in American democracy. We are more connected than
ever, but we are objectively more polarized perhaps than we've ever been.
Have we ever been in a situation like that? Of course. Think about the Civil War,
the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, debates over the Vietnam War.
All of these are moments where the American populace felt that something
important was at stake and there was a great deal of friction about the right
way to move forward. What we need to make sure though, is that the institutions
that carried us through some of those prior struggles, remain strong enough to
get us through this. The University of Virginia was created in the cradle of
democracy by those who founded our democracy. It has continued to be the
place to go to to study current democratic issues. The Democracy
Initiative is a brand-new, cross university initiative, it's going to
bring together the best assets at the University of Virginia. That's going to
give us the opportunity to bring diverse perspectives whether it's someone from
anthropology, politics, economics, the law school and bringing the best of their
experience to bear on these complex challenges. We want to engage with the
public as well. One of the most exciting ways we'll do that will be the
Presidential Ideas Festival. The Ideas Festival will bring leaders from public
policy from around the world, including a past United States president, to better
understand the challenges that confront us but also how we can move forward. In
order to keep these institutions of government strong we have to keep asking
questions of our democracy. Our country is not inevitable it is reliant upon our
engagement and our commitment to it.