

When the Military Is in the Streets w Gen. Stan McChrystal
Baratunde returns to the How To Citizen feed with a conversation that sits right at the intersection of character, democracy, and what it means to citizen in this moment. This episode features Baratunde in a live discussion with retired U.S. General Stanley McChrystal at the 2025 Masters of Scale …

The true story of who we really are
This is our wrap of our Week of Citizening that I've been doing with Jon Alexander. We found 8 stories from across the U.S. — across sectors, communities, and divides — where people are coming together to make life better, together. See them all here. See the visuals for this story and all our Wee…

We Know how to Rebuild Our Democracy - final story
There is a model for how we rebuild and heal after the human-made disaster being inflicted on the USA right now. Welcome to Dena Heals—a mutual aid marketplace and wellness center born in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena. See the visuals for this story and all our Week of Citizening sto…

How we gather is how we citizen
We head to Eliot, Maine, where a multiracial, multidisciplinary group of artists have reimagined what a conference can be. At SeaCHANGE, creativity isn’t an afterthought—it’s the starting point. The gathering opens with movement and dance. It invites deep connection through shared meals, collaborat…

Don't Wait for New Leaders. BECOME Them
Today we bring you Story #6 in our Week of Citizening. We’ve already shown you how people are rethinking democracy through libraries, labor, and school boards. Now we’re headed to a place often overlooked but brimming with democratic possibility: West Virginia. See the visuals and links to all the…

We found the Anti-DOGE in Chicago
Today, we head to Chicago, where a civic gathering called Chi Hack Night is bringing technologists, designers, policy nerds, and everyday residents together to build a better city. Access to visuals for this story are here: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/we-found-the-anti-doge-in-chicago an…

People Know What They Need
We’re told some people just need to be saved. But what people really need is to be needed. This community of young single mothers in Lexington, Kentucky reveals a version of this story. Full video viewing options for this story plus links to the Instagram and LinkedIn versions: https://newsletter…

Can a School Board Teach Us to Overcome Division?
We’re told America is hopelessly divided. But zoom in—like, say, to a school board in South Central Pennsylvania—and a different story emerges. Full video viewing options for this story plus links to the Instagram and LinkedIn versions: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/proof-we-can-overcome-divi…

A Tax Day Message about Layoffs With Consent
It’s Tax Day in the U.S., a moment when many of us think about how we fund collective life. So today’s story? It’s about layoffs — but not the kind we’ve come to expect. See the visuals for this story and all our Week of Citizening stories here: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/this-tax-day-soli…

Libraries Are Hubs for Citizening - Story 1
Watch this first video story from the Week of Citizening on Instagram or LinkedIn: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/1st-story-libraries-are-hubs-for?r=204q7 What if every library in the world was a hub for citizening—a space where people could come together, tell their own stories, and build new…