Citizen University TV

Eric Liu refers to America's favorite pastime, baseball, to help answer the question, what does it mean to be responsible? He says there are two ways to interpret this. First, what is it we should expect to be blamed for or held to account? Second, what ways are we living up to obligation or expectation? He says both are at play as our political culture has increasingly favored one definition over the other, often with negative consequences. Liu says to move forward we need to recommit ourselves to our duties: to connect, cultivate, circulate, and question ourselves. Liu's address was delivered April 6, 2019, at the Impact Hub Seattle as part of Citizen University's Civic Saturday, the civic analog to a faith gathering.

Host Eric Liu says "neighbor power" matters. Those who study relationships refer to it as "social cohesion." And according to a recent civic health report, Seattle ranks low on the national scale. Many Seattleites don't know their neighbors or share favors. Liu examines what it means to be a good neighbor and how fostering relationships at the neighborhood level helps the broader community. And hear from local residents who are part of the team cleaning and restoring the Duwamish River. Plus, Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods shares innovative ways to build neighbor power.

Citizen University TV makes a stop at the Fremont Abbey for a special presentation of Civic Saturday. In his "civic sermon," Eric Liu reminds us, "It's a Free Country." But when he explores that notion it reveals much about who we are as a nation. As Alexis de Tocqueville noted in "Democracy in America," we are both "independent and weak." Liu adds context to that belief by discussing three themes that are deeply connected: freedom, loneliness and help. His thoughts are both eye-opening and uplifting. Civic Saturday is a civic analogue to a faith gathering that celebrates the American civic tradition with an address by Liu, readings, song and reflection. The unique civic experience aims to instill a spirit of shared purpose - with liberty, equality and self-government at the heart.

Behind many important social and political movements are community organizers. Citizen University TV host Eric Liu examines an age-old tool of the art of civics with a look at how community organizing can upend the status quo and how simple acts can lead to powerful actions. He reviews the legacy of some well-known local leaders and looks at how people in the Northwest are responding to current crises surrounding addiction, hunger, gentrification and growth. Guest Katie Wilson, general secretary of the Transit Riders Union, discusses how the group's mission has expanded beyond public transit to include advocating for the rights of the working poor. Plus, sit in with us at a seminar co-hosted by Seattle's Somali Family Safety Task Force designed to help women targeted in our community because they are Muslim, minorities, immigrants, or all three.

Citizen University TV hits the road with a special presentation of Civic Saturday from the Northwest African American Museum. Host Eric Liu hits "rewind" with a fascinating journey back in time, decade by decade. Liu recounts pivotal moments in history when he had the foresight to warn people of what was to come. But his talk is more than a flashback. The lessons learned from Liu's time travel are revealed in five separate truths. Ultimately, he says hindsight is foresight if we know how to see. Civic Saturday is a community gathering that celebrates the American civic tradition with an address by Liu, readings, song and reflection.