Civility Week

Civility Week: Democracy Takes Creativity

October 12–16, 2026

Produced by the Student Development Committee and the Whyman Center for Transformative Learning.

Democracy must be imagined, built, challenged, and renewed—again and again. Last year, we asked our community to consider what it means to act with courage in a democracy. This year, we take the next step: Democracy Takes Creativity. At Brookdale, we believe that everyone is an artist right now—capable of shaping the world we live in.

In a moment of rapid change, uncertainty, and shifting civic life, we are called not only to protect democracy—but to reimagine it. This year’s theme invites us to explore creativity not as decoration, but as necessity. Creativity as problem-solving. Creativity as resistance. Creativity as a way forward. To be radical is to return to the root. At its founding, this nation was itself a creative act—an audacious reimagining of governance. The Constitution is a living document born of bold ideas about freedom, participation, and shared power. Imperfect, evolving, and unfinished—it calls each generation to continue the work. Now, it is our turn.

From protest songs to murals, from theater to digital media, from grassroots organizing to policy innovation—every act of democracy requires imagination. Protest is performance. Signs are storytelling. Movements are collective works of art. Banksy famously drew, “If graffiti changed anything, it would be illegal.” To create a better world, we have to be able to imagine it first.

Schedule of Events

Premiere Keynote Series

Navesink rooms, second floor, Student Life Center
Monday, October 12, 2026
11:00 a.m.
2 hours

Imagining the World We Want: An Artist Conversation

John Dias, Former Artistic Director, Two River Theater

Before we examine the practical work of defending democracy, we begin with the imagination that makes democracy possible. Structured as an open conversation with Angela Kariotis, John Dias reflects on the unique role of theater and the arts in civic life. Together, they’ll explore how storytelling helps us confront difficult truths, expand empathy, imagine alternative futures, and resist the forces of fear, silence, and authoritarianism. Theater has long served as both a mirror to society and a rehearsal space for democracy—inviting us to witness, question, and envision what is possible together. This conversation offers the philosophical and emotional foundation for the Civility Week that follows, reminding us that before we can build a more just society, we must first imagine one.

Courage, Community, Action: How We Defend Democracy in an Authoritarian Era?

Kerri Kennedy, community partner, Associate General Secretary for International Programs, American Friends Service Committee

Across the globe, the foundations of justice, peace, democracy, and human rights are being rapidly eroded. Communities facing censorship, repression, and shrinking civic space have developed powerful strategies to defend democracy. Those lessons are urgently relevant in the United States today. Drawing on more than twenty-five years of direct experience working in authoritarian and conflict-affected contexts across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, Kerri Kennedy will offer a grounded, hopeful, and practical look at what we can do when democratic norms begin to erode. Through real-world stories, analysis, and interactive dialogue, participants will explore the warning signs of authoritarian creep, the role of courage and collective action, and how local communities can protect human rights and our democratic norms. Key learnings will include: how to recognize early indicators of democratic backsliding, what global case studies reveal about the power of organized communities, why collective action is crucial, and practical tools that anyone can use to take action locally. This session invites all of us to see ourselves not as bystanders, but as essential defenders of democracy in a critical moment in the U.S.

Civic Imagination: Poetry, Empathy, and Seeing Through the Eyes of the Other

Laura McCullough, English

Monday, October 12, 2026
2:00 p.m.
Twin Lights, Student Life Center
1 hour

Creativity and the arts help shape the emotional and imaginative capacities necessary for democratic life. In a time of deep polarization, when we are encouraged toward certainty, reaction, and division, this talk asks what happens when we lose the practices that help us imagine the lives and experiences of others. Drawing on ideas from apophatic storytelling, decolonizing narrative, compassionate curiosity, and the healing possibilities of art and language, we will consider how poetry, storytelling, and collaborative creative practice teach us to sit with complexity, uncertainty, and difference rather than fear them. Together, we will explore how empathy is not abstract but learned through encounter, imagination, listening, and shared acts of meaning-making, including a participatory group poetry experience inspired by the exquisite corpse. At its heart, this talk argues that the arts are not separate from civic life, but one of the ways we learn how to be human with one another inside it.

Peace-by-Piece: A Brookdale Community Quilt Celebration and Stitch-In

Elana Maloney, English

Monday, October 12, 2026
5:30 p.m.
CVA Gallery
30 minutes

The Peace-by-Piece Brookdale Community Quilt has been a year-long project that is now ready to be revealed. Students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community members have participated in group embroidery sessions and have contributed over 200 embroidered squares. These have now been stitched into a quilt that represents the qualities of Courage, Creativity, Collaboration, and Compassion. Join us for the opening of the CVA Gallery’s Fall exhibit We, an Unfinished Project, as we come together to celebrate the many meanings of our community quilt.

Civic Engagement: Power Panel

Johnathan Moschberger, Political Science

Tuesday, October 13, 2026
11:45 a.m.
Twin Lights 1 and 2, Student Life Center
90 minutes

An annual tradition produced by the Political Science Department, here’s a sampling of topics and happenings: Civic engagement, empowering young voters, young public servants, distinguished speakers from various fields, resource tables, voter registration, community organizations, and more. Join us.

The Courage to Confront Conspiracy: Rebuilding Trust in a Time of Mistrust

Christian Perez, Political Science and Transfer Pathways

Tuesday, October 13, 2026
1:30 p.m.
Zoom
1 hour

A session so relevant, we’re presenting it again. In an age defined by misinformation and division, conspiracy theories have eroded public trust and weakened our shared democratic values. This presentation examines how conspiracy narratives take root, spread, and ultimately corrode civic dialogue and faith in democratic institutions. Drawing from recent examples and social science research, this session will explore how fear, isolation, and digital echo chambers contribute to the spread of conspiratorial thinking. More importantly, it will highlight practical strategies citizens can use to counter misinformation in their own circles, through critical thinking, civic education, and engagement.

Creativity Takes Courage: exercising our muscle

Angela Kariotis, Whyman Center for Transformative Learning

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
11:00 a.m.
Twin Lights 1 and 2, Student Life Center
2 hours

What if creativity isn’t something you have—it’s something you practice? Democracy depends on people who can imagine futures that do not yet exist. Creativity is how we practice that capacity. Creativity is often mistaken for artistic talent. It is the human capacity to notice patterns, imagine alternatives, connect unlikely ideas, adapt to change, and solve problems with others. In a world of increasing complexity, creativity isn’t a luxury—it’s an essential practice for learning, leadership, collaboration, and democracy.This energetic, highly participatory workshop invites you to exercise your creativity like a muscle. Participants will explore habits that expand perspective, generate ideas, embrace uncertainty, and build on one another’s thinking. Along the way, we’ll discover that creativity is less about being original than it is about becoming more courageous, and more willing.

Democracy in Action: League of Women Voters

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
2:00 p.m.
Twin Lights 1 and 2, Student Life Center
1 hour

Democracy doesn’t happen on its own—it depends on informed, engaged citizens. Join members of the League of Women Voters to learn about their nonpartisan work to empower voters, strengthen civic participation, and protect the democratic process. Through conversation and practical resources, participants will explore ways to become more informed, engaged, and effective members of their communities. Whether you’re voting for the first time or looking for new ways to make a difference, this session will offer meaningful opportunities to put democratic values into action.

Music for Self and Society: How joining a choir, attending a concert, or singing with others sparks personal and social wellness

Beth Boylan Psychology, Elizabeth Kruijssen EOF, Kenneth McGee Event production

Thursday, October 15, 2026
a.m.
Twin Lights 1 and 2, Student Life Center
1 hour

What happens when we gather with others to participate in a live musical performance? We experience a sense of belonging that Maslow deemed essential for psychological health and engage in what is known as a “social cure.” Our presentation has a few objectives: to explore the collective well-being experiences of enjoying live music at concerts or festivals and to examine the benefits of choir singing, while giving a nod to the galvanizing power of music in social movements throughout history. After examining scientific research that demonstrates why collective live music experiences are good for our minds and bodies, we will practice singing exercises that ground us, uplift us, build community, and foster wellbeing. In times of great change, art offers tremendous healing power! No singing experience (or talent!) required 🙂

Your Story, Our Story: A Brookdale Culture Share

Student Life and Activities, SOL student club, student Anthony Jimenez, and Ashley Zampogna-Krug, History

Thursday, October 15, 2026
11:45 a.m.
Twin Lights 1 and 2, Student Life Center
90 minutes

Democracy requires both conversation and active listening. It depends on negotiation, empathy, and the ability of people from diverse backgrounds and experiences to find common ground. What happens when strangers share personal artifacts with one another? How can objects help us better understand our differences while revealing unexpected connections? In this session, participants will be invited to bring an artifact to share with the group. The artifact may be any form of material culture—a piece of jewelry, a photograph, a favorite dish, an article of clothing, or another meaningful object. Through storytelling, listening, and reflection, participants will gain a deeper appreciation for the rich mosaic of cultures, identities, and experiences that shape the United States. If possible, participants will also be invited to contribute their artifacts to Brookdale’s collection within the Tenement Museum’s Your Story, Our Story digital exhibit.

Freedom to Create: The Artists Who Shaped America

Jenny Santa Maria, Teaching artist

Thursday, October 15, 2026
1:30 p.m.
Twin Lights 1 and 2, Student Life Center
1 hour

Celebrate the diversity and creativity that have shaped the American art story. We’ll explore how each artist’s experiences and challenges informed their creative voice—from Georgia O’Keeffe’s meditative connection to the natural world, to Faith Ringgold’s storytelling quilts that wove art and activism together, to Keith Haring’s bold visual language created in service of social change. Together, their work reveals how artists use visual language to share ideas and perspectives that words alone cannot capture. Through the stories and work of these groundbreaking artists, participants will consider the many ways creative expression shapes culture, challenges assumptions, and contributes to public life.

American Quilts As Agitprop: A Canvas For Social And Political Activism

Jeffery McCullough, Interior Design, Kean University

Thursday, October 15, 2026
5:30 p.m.
CVA Gallery
1 hour

We tend to think of quilts as comforting, domestic, safe, but across three centuries of American history, the quilt has functioned as something far more powerful: a medium for protest and political speech, often wielded by those with no other outlet for expression. Because quilting was dismissed as “women’s work,” it existed beneath the notice of those in power and that invisibility became a kind of freedom. This lecture traces how enslaved women, suffragists, AIDS activists, and contemporary artists used fabric and pattern to carry messages that could not be spoken aloud, staging arguments that would otherwise have been silenced entirely. By the end, you’ll never look at a quilt the same way again.

Explore Democracy in Any Discipline — with Help from AI!

A Civility Week x Center for Transformative Learning x Teaching & Learning Center Collaboration

Looking to spark civic thinking in your classroom or student programming? We’ve launched a new AI-powered teaching assistant that helps faculty and staff integrate themes of democracy into any subject area.

🧠 How It Works:
The AI agent works with you—step by step—through simple prompts and questions. Whether you’re teaching math, nursing, history, or graphic design, the tool helps you generate ideas, activities, and discussion prompts that explore democratic values like participation, justice, and voice.

💡 Examples:

A psychology professor might explore groupthink in political movements
A culinary instructor could highlight food access and voting behavior
A communications course might compare freedom of speech across eras

🎯 Start Exploring Now:
Explore using the AI agent

Brookdale login required.

Directions:
Once in Copilot, accept the AI Agent. Then, you’ll find it listed on the left-hand side under your “agents”. Use one of the ready-made prompts to start. It’s easy, collaborative, and designed to help you imagine what’s possible.

Be Revolutionary, Be Brookdale.
Democracy depends on us, “We the People…”

Civility Week Community Agreement

We come together during Civility Week to enhance our understanding of, and learn more about, the meaning and importance of civility. We commit to honest, brave, respectful conversation, where participants are encouraged to speak openly, listen actively, embrace curiosity and gather wisdom. Together, we will strive to:

Learn and grow
Listen and understand
Recognize that experiences are perceived
Acknowledge where power and privilege exist; and
Provide space for all voices to share

RevolutionNJ

About COPE

Why COPE, Poverty, and Civility Week?

COPE is an immersive experience, created by people with lived experience in poverty. The “college edition” provides a foundational understanding of poverty and its many tentacles, as experienced by many college students every day. In this way, COPE fosters empathy and encourages meaningful conversation about social justice, equity, and the importance of creating an inclusive community at Brookdale. It promotes civil discourse and thus serves as a building block to creating a more compassionate, informed, and proactive campus community.

About Cost of Poverty Experience (COPE): College Edition

This COPE event is a 2.5-hour simulation that will lead you to explore the experience of poverty through the eyes of real college students. Participation will engender empathy, catalyze important discussion, and empower you to respond to issues of poverty and Brookdale students who face poverty with care, compassion, and competency.

Brookdale faculty, administrators, staff, and students, as well as community members, are invited to participate in this engaging week of programming!
In-person events will take place in Twin Lights I & II in the Student Life Center.
You will be emailed a Zoom link a few days in advance of remote live events.
Please only register for events that you plan to attend, but know drop-ins are always welcome

COPE Event Overview: The Cost of Poverty Experience (COPE): College Edition at Brookdale Community College

Brookdale Community College invites all employees, including faculty, staff, and administrators, to join “The Cost of Poverty Experience (COPE): College Edition,” an impactful and essential event addressing the experience of poverty for today’s college student. This immersive experience prompts participants to embody the daily struggles and visceral realities faced by college students living in poverty. Once experienced, you can’t unknow it. The goal is to drive empathy into action. By fostering understanding and solidarity, the event aims to embolden college employees to craft and execute new plans, practices, and policies to support students who struggle with poverty (e.g., establish an Emergency Relief Fund for students who encounter emergencies (e.g., job loss, unexpected medical bills, etc.); remove registration holds for students who carry a tuition balance; provide ride share cards to students in fieldwork; create paid mentorships for students in career programs, employ poverty informed teaching practices, etc.).

Understanding the Struggle

Many of us are in this struggle. 38 million Americans live “under the poverty line” and many millions more feel the weight of financial burden every day. In the face of rising inflation, the grocery store check-out, the cost of childcare, an impossible housing market, and the historic inequities of capitalism, the cost of living continues to escalate, disproportionately affecting the working class – yet affecting nearly all groups to differing degrees. Today, 59% to 62% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck; they are only one paycheck away from potential homelessness. The average cost of an emergency plunging a family into deprivation is just $400. The “True Poverty Level” in New Jersey, as reported by Legal Services of New Jersey’s Poverty Research Institute, was $72,000 for a family of three in 2021 and has only worsened by 2024. This means that many hard-working people, with seemingly decent salaries, still struggle financially.

Children, Poverty, and the Failure of the Grown-ups

Poverty has a devastating impact on children, affecting their education, health, and general wellbeing. As of 2023, 11.6 million children, or 16% of all U.S. children, live in poverty. These children are more likely to experience food insecurity, with 1 in 6 lacking access to enough food. You cannot learn if you are hungry; thus, education is severely impacted. Students from low-income families are five times more likely to drop out of high school than their more affluent peers. Additionally, health outcomes are dire for children living in poverty, with a staggering 60% more likely to suffer from mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Children do not have control over their life and the policy that informs it. Children lack power because they do not have the ability to organize. But adults can. NYU Business School Professor Scott Galloway asks, “Do we care about our children?” According to current social and economic policies, and their associated outcomes, the answer is up for debate.

The Social Determinants of Health

The “social determinants of health” includes the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. Examples of these determinants impacting college students include food insecurity, inadequate housing, and lack of access to healthcare. Understanding these factors is critical to addressing the root causes of poverty and related physical and mental health outcomes and is essential to developing effective solutions. In other words, poverty is a public health issue that must be addressed via a comprehensive understanding of its etiology and the utilization of an upstream approach.

The Criminalization of Poverty

Society often criminalizes poverty, imposing legal penalties on those who are unable to afford basic needs or fail to meet financial obligations. For college students, this may mean facing legal consequences due to unpaid bills or incurring fines that lead to increased stress and barriers to academic success. Criminalizing poverty perpetuates the cycle of disadvantage and makes it harder for individuals to escape poverty. “Fight poverty. Not the Poor,” is a slogan born of this trend.

The Importance of Solidarity

Before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, he was in the process of planning the largest multi-racial, intergenerational coalition the world has ever seen: The Poor People’s March on Washington. He did not live to see it. In the same spirit, especially during a time when polarization and separateness is at a fever pitch in our country, COPE harkens the solidarity that Dr. King envisioned. At Brookdale, we can be truly united against poverty to best serve our students. A concerted, collegewide effort to effect change for students who face poverty at Brookdale, a leader among community colleges, has never been more timely or more necessary.

Why This Matters

If systems are designed, they can be redesigned. COPE brings Brookdale employees together to mark the College’s commitment to understanding and supporting students in poverty. By participating in the learning experience as a whole community, we can make this event truly impactful by first understanding the far-reaching effects of poverty then taking actionable steps to support students in ways and to an extent that Brookdale has never done before. Be there to be a part of something revolutionary!