By EVM Staff

The University of Michigan-Flint will host “Cracks in the Pavement,” a free community symposium on November 6, 2025, with the aim of exploring how residents and area organizations “are reimagining democratic participation beyond conventional forms of governance to foster new cultures of democracy.”

The symposium, which will run from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., kicks off the research the institution is conducting in connection with a $495,000 Mellon Grant UM-Flint received last year.

“This event reflects UM-Flint’s dedication to fostering dialogue and collaboration across our campus and the Flint community,” said Abby Parrill-Baker, Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at UM-Flint, in a press release regarding the symposium. “By bringing together diverse voices, we can deepen our understanding of how everyday civic practices shape democracy in meaningful ways.”

Keynote speakers will include Joe Guinan, president, The Democracy Collaborative; Esteban Kelly, executive director, U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives; Thea Lee, former president of the Economic Policy Institute and former undersecretary of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (2021-25); Dan Kildee, former representative, U.S. House of Representatives, and current president of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint; and Jenna Bednar, professor of political science and public policy and co-chair for the Presidential Initiative on Democracy, Civic Empowerment, and Global Engagement at U-M.

Further, East Village Magazine’s editor, Kate Stockrahm, will be taking part in a breakout panel discussion with other local editors Jiquanda Johnson of Flint Beat and Tia Scott of Flintside, moderated by Scott Atkinson.

“The speakers represent a diversity of views on how we might elevate everyday forms of democratic engagement — from those working on a more democratic economy at the national level to community members building local journalism platforms, to everyday residents who have created sites of remembering Flint’s past,” said Jacob Lederman, associate professor of sociology and the principal investigator on the Mellon Grant.

According to UM-Flint’s press release, activities related to the grant will take place through 2028, as an interdisciplinary team of UM-Flint faculty and students engage with the local community to examine how democratic cultures flourish in places like Flint.

To learn more or register to attend, visit UM-Flint’s website.