Civic Health and Social Distancing

Hollie Russon Gilman wrote about what will happen to civic life during social distancing for Stanford Social Innovation Review.

We don’t yet know the answers. But as we physically isolate ourselves, the need for public engagement will simultaneously be at an all-time high, both for public health and democratic health. The health of our communities will depend on individuals taking responsibility to limit the virus’s spread. When schools close and offices go remote, those already most vulnerable in our communities will be most affected, including those structurally and historically marginalized and disenfranchised. Many lower-income children rely on their schools for food and medical care; for seniors, often already insolated, a visit from a social worker might be their only human contact with the outside world. Not all workers can work from home, or use sick days and health insurance if they fall ill. Political, civic, and social engagement will be crucial to help address all of these threats.

What does that civic engagement and healthy democracy look like at a time of anxiety, fear, and social distancing? And where the problem exacerbates existing inequalities, how can democratic engagement respond in an inclusive, accessible, civic-minded, and socially conscious way?

These are some things we can do, but they are not the only things. We don’t yet know what the future will look like. But if these thoughts are only a beginning of a long conversation, we need to start that conversation today. What can we do to keep our civic body healthy?