What is a Democracy Circle?

Democracy Circles use the power of your existing relationships to bring more people into this fight, deepen understanding, and link to strategic, ongoing grassroots efforts to demand the multiracial democracy we need.

Democracy Circles are small groups of people who join together regularly to demand the democracy we need; a truly multi-racial, multi-cultural democracy that represents all of us.

Each circle is initiated by a circle convener, who picks a meeting time and place and brings people they know together in person or on Zoom to take action and to explore how we counter attacks on our democracy right now.

At the Workers Circle we understand our own Yiddish culture and activist history as a touchstone for strengthening democracy and resisting fascism. Democracy Circle participants are invited to draw upon their own diverse experiences — personal, historical, and cultural — as a critical foundation for our collective engagement. Everyone who wishes to build a “better and more beautiful world for all” is welcome!

Our democracy is under attack at a speed and magnitude not seen before in our lifetime.
Voter suppression, election interference, regressive court decisions, and Congressional gridlock, are eroding our democracy, stripping our rights, and setting the stage for minority rule. It’s up to us to fight back. Together.
There are two main elements of a Democracy Circle: action and reflection.
Action: Democracy Circles take action in all kinds of ways. Some postcard or join our weekly phonebank to voters of color with information to help them surmount barriers to voting. Others recruit friends and neighbors to become non-partisan poll monitors or join direct actions and legislative visits. As opportunities arise for state-based action, we’ll help connect your Democracy Circle with trusted partners in your state and community for direct action, legislative advocacy, and more. Check out our Take Action Guide for more information.
Reflection: We provide discussion resources to help you and your Democracy Circle reflect and think together about the state of our nation. Some of the discussion resources are articles you can read together, some are videos you can watch, and some encourage you to share your own stories. Check out a sample resource here.
Democracy Circles are flexible and adaptable. Here are three sample models for what a Democracy can look like: a kitchen table model, an into the streets model, and an congregational model, and. Each of these examples comes from one of our real Democracy Circles. You can also create your own model!
Kitchen Table model
Susan and Barri gathered two friends from their area before the Georgia runoff. Together as a Democracy Circle they wrote over 200 postcards to GA voters with the Center for Common Ground and the Workers Circle. Forming a democracy circle helped them create a safe and welcoming discussion space while they wrote postcards.
Into the streets model
Diana invited five people in her Democracy Circle to protests in her area in Northern California. Afterwards, they all met together to share stories and reflect on their experience.
Congregational model
Nancy’s justice committee at her synagogue wanted to get more involved in fighting for our democracy. They gathered 11 people on Zoom, and together they read one of our resources about how the anti-abortion movement eroded our democracy. Then they discussed the article using the questions we provided. They’ve continued to gather and take action using our resources.
We are a social justice organization that has been cultivating a proudly progressive, diverse, and inclusive community rooted in Jewish culture and social action for more than a century.
No! We believe that all of us are needed in the fight for a shenere un besere velt far ale, a better and more beautiful world for all, and that our distinct histories and heritages are gifts that power our movement. As a social justice organization rooted in Jewish culture we believe uniting at this moment across cultures and races means we’re practicing the democracy we are demanding for our nation. You are welcome!
Democracy Circles meet regularly, but what that looks like is up to you! Some Democracy Circles meet every other week, some meet monthly and some meet frequently to undertake actions together in certain time periods. The important thing is that you meet more than once - fighting fascism and demanding the democracy we need requires our sustained, collective efforts.
Once you fill out the interest form, we’ll reach out to schedule a one on one orientation time with you! We’ll also send you a Getting Started packet and an Outreach Tips packet with helpful information. Once your circle is off the ground, you’ll receive ongoing support from our staff.
You can start by gathering people to take action or to meet to reflect on this moment. Gather those who are ready and get moving! Sign up here to start a Democracy Circle.