If “the civic” is a potluck, as Eboo Patel,  founder and president of Interfaith America, suggests, what would you bring to the communal table?

I have always had a sweet tooth, so I’d opt for a dessert. Growing up, one of my all-time favorites was my grandmother’s chocolate peanut butter pie. Today, it brings back memories of many multigenerational family dinners. My grandmother was a tremendous role model for me in terms of radical hospitality, graciousness, and the importance of making everyone feel welcome and included.

President Jon Alger launched the Civic Life initiative in July. 

I like to bring a bouquet of locally grown flowers to a dinner or gathering. More important than the color or the fragrance is the effect they have when placed in the middle of a table—flowers help people bond, lower stress levels, and foster empathy. A bouquet also adds beauty to everyday moments and events.

Elizabeth McCabe Deal is an assistant vice president and deputy chief communications officer and a member of the Civic Life steering committee.

No potluck at my house is complete without homemade mac and cheese. Not only is it something that my picky kids will eat, but it’s also a dish that showcases the uniqueness of everyone in our multicultural family. We’ve even had taste-off competitions, which my late sister-in-law always won. Now, sharing the dish reminds us of her and the way that coming together keeps us connected to those who have come before.

Amanda Taylor is assistant vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion and a member of the Civic Life steering committee.

I’d bring mushrooms that I gathered from the forest. It would give me an opportunity to talk about recent discoveries in mycology that overturn the notion of nature as a pure Darwinian struggle for survival. Instead, the underground mycelia of mushrooms interlink entire forest ecosystems in what Suzanne Simard calls the “wood wide web,” a network through which trees warn each other of infestations and even selflessly send essential nutrients and minerals to trees that need them. Turns out that to thrive, forests need a rich civic life.

Eric Lohr is the Dr. James H. Billington Chair of Russian History and Culture and a member of the Civic Life steering committee. 

I’d bring three rich side dishes in hopes of sparking conversation. One is Plato’s Apology, which exemplifies the enduring tension between a life of radical questioning and the norms and rules needed by any political community. The second is the spellbinding speech about police violence given by the main character of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, which illustrates how memory and mourning can be profound acts of civic responsibility. Finally, I’d bring Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a deep reflection on the human ability to deceive ourselves even (or especially) when we think we are doing good in the world.

Tom Merrill is director of the Lincoln Scholars program and chair of the Civic Life steering committee.

I think of a potluck as a joyful and voluntary activity. But our civic life affects everyone. If I don’t show up at all, I have reaffirmed the status quo. If I show up and don’t work to make it more open to everyone, I have reinforced the exclusion. So what I’m going to bring to the [table] is primarily questions: How am I needed? Who hasn’t received their invitation? Most of all, I hope that everyone will be welcome regardless of whether they believe they are “bringing” something. Because in civic life, we are all mutually invested in one another.

Lara Schwartz is a senior professorial lecturer of government; director of the Project on Civic Dialogue; a member of the Civic Life steering committee; and the author of Try to Love the Questions: From Debate to Dialogue in Classrooms and Life.

I’d bring a build-your-own taco bar. Everyone would get to customize their own, making it a mix of personal choice and shared experience. Plus, nothing gets people talking like debating the best toppings: guac or no guac?

Krystal Lindsey, SOE/EdD ’26, is a Civic Life Student Fellow. 

I would happily and enthusiastically bring three things to the communal table: empathy for those whose voices may not be heard; a willingness to listen to the “other side,” regardless of how strongly I may disagree; and the desire to serve as a vessel to bring people together through basketball.

Duane Simpkins is head coach of AU men’s basketball and emceed the inaugural Unity Meal on October 7.

I’m a passionate fisherman and love nothing more than a beautiful day on the water. I’d serve up a delicious New England-style battered haddock to represent the rich camaraderie of our nation’s fishing communities, an underappreciated piece on the civic mosaic. Head over to your nearest wharf, and you’ll get a sense of it.

Amishai Goodman-Goldstein, SPA/BA ’25, is a Civic Life Student Fellow.