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Written by Maurice Mitchell Many of my friends and colleagues are rightfully worried about conflict as we head into a contentious election season. Conflict between organizers and voters, between residents deciding on which candidate to choose. Even between organizers about the...
Best-Case Scenario: November 6, 2024
There has been a lot of scenario planning for the U.S. elections. Almost all that I have heard about is planning for the worst. What if people storm state capitals or attack poll workers or county clerks? What if people don’t like the results and take to the streets or worse? We...
It’s Not Sci-Fi: Giving Language to the Harms AI is Creating, Now
Maybe you’ve been in this scenario: you’re talking to a friend or family member about your work. You mention that you work with incredible leaders who are working to govern Big Tech better. Your friend, mom, or nephew asks you, why? Why do I care if Instagram is listening to me...
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How leaders can use rituals to move with confidence in conflicted times
When conflicts get hot, how can you show up as your best self and use your leadership to navigate through the conflict rather than let it boil over into violence? As our first blog on rituals mentioned, rituals are a creative and culturally powerful way to get leaders off the...
🖇️ Spitfire Shares: Violence-Free Civic Spaces, Dragging Democracy and More!💡
This newsletter is 1,415 words – an 11-minute read. Welcome to Spitfire Shares! This month, we're looking back and looking ahead. Spitfire was born 22 years ago from the vision and commitment of Kristen Grimm to democratize the field of public interest communications, to break...
Actions speak louder than words: one great example of role modeling civil discourse
Over the weekend, a lone gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Violence has no place in our political process. Period. I wrote this post before the events of July 13, 2024, and the recent horrifying news makes it ever more important that candidates and...
On Spitfire’s 22nd anniversary
At milestone moments, I have a practice of sitting back before leaping into life and work again. I start with James Baldwin, who wrote “Inventory/On Being 52”: My progress report concerning my journey to the palace of wisdom is discouraging. I lack certain indispensable aptitudes...
Use the power of rituals to strengthen civic spaces
If you have ever been to a school board meeting that got heated, a city council meeting where there was more shouting than problem solving, or found yourself worried that people might start swinging at polling stations, you are not alone. You, yes you, can lower temperatures...
Spitfire Shares: Communicating complexity, comfort and kindness
This newsletter is 1,226 words – a 10-minute read. A message from Spitfire President, Jen Carnig: At Spitfire, we are curious learners and courageous problem solvers. We share insights, best practices and the latest communication trends among our team, and often through our...
Working with journalists to promote civic discourse not civil discord
Media is an important lever in creating the social norm of safe and sound civic spaces. Best-Case Scenario, a Spitfire project, recently held two sessions exploring ways to work effectively with the media to prevent the normalization and glamorization of violence in civic spaces...
Building civil discourse, not civil discord: Seven actions leaders can take
No leader wants to call the police on community members. When conversations break down, resulting in violence or the threat of it, leaders rightly ask: What could we have done differently to prevent this situation? I define “violence” as any form of physical aggression as well as...
Bridging is uncomfortable, but deep curiosity can help us build a future of belonging.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a concert hall full of strategists, academics, organizers, advocates and communicators for social change at the Othering & Belonging Conference in Oakland, California. We had just spent two days learning and talking about the concept of belonging...