Why strengthening democracy deserves a "genius" award!
Issue 183: Congratulations to to Dr. Hahrie Han for winning a 2025 MacArthur Award
The MacArthur Foundation just announced its 2025 class of “Genius Grant” winners — a dazzling group of thinkers, artists, and change-makers reshaping how we see the world. Among them is someone whose work has influenced our own thinking: Dr. Hahrie Han.
We featured Hahrie in a short documentary we produced a few years ago, Protecting Democracy in a Time of Political Extremism — check it out below! We also interviewed her for this newsletter when her book, Undivided, came out.
Hahrie does extraordinary research on how people build power together, not through money or access, but through relationships, organizing, and collective action. Her work shows how ordinary people, when connected by shared purpose and structure, can revitalize democracy from the ground up.
She is also the Director of the Agora Institute at John’s Hopkins University, where we hosted a conference on The Power of Us. The institute is dedicated to strengthening global democracy by improving and expanding civic engagement and inclusive dialogue, and by supporting inquiry that leads to real-world change.
In our view, the job of understanding how we can come together to strengthen civic life is definitely deserving of a MacArthur Award. Hahrie’s selection feels both richly deserved and deeply hopeful — a reminder that the work of civic renewal depends not on a few voices at the top, but on many people finding ways to act together.
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News and Updates
Another Ask Me Anything session is happening this month! Paid Subscribers can join us for our monthly live Q&A with Jay or Dom where you can ask us anything from workshopping research questions, career advice to opinions and recommendations on pop culture happenings—for paid subscribers only. Upgrade your subscription to join
Oct 16th 4:00 EST with Dom
Nov 6th 4:00 EST with Jay
Dec 11th 4:00 EST with Dom
Catch up on the last one…
Last week, we shared a newsletter on political polarization and health:
Political Polarization and Health: Navigating the social media divide
Jay recently did an interview about “Political Polarization and Health: Navigating the social media divide” on The Stress Puzzle podcast with Dr. Ryan Brown. They discussed why political polarization is a threat to individual and societal health—which is particularly salient as we’re seeing a rise in politically-motivated violence.
Congratulations! The power of being awarded your power!