Skip to content
Project 2025
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories
Supreme Court

MAGA Supreme Court Justices Show Their True Colors by Joining Trump’s Attack on the Federal Judiciary

Charlie Kirk’s Death Sparks Martyrdom Narrative Amid Rising Political Violence

Charlie Kirk’s Death Sparks Martyrdom Narrative Amid Rising Political Violence

How To Fix Gerrymandering: A Fair-Share Rule for Congressional Redistricting

How To Fix Gerrymandering: A Fair-Share Rule for Congressional Redistricting

Examining Florida’s Controversial New Immigration Bills: SB 2-C and SB 4-C

Examining Florida’s Controversial New Immigration Bills: SB 2-C and SB 4-C

Kick off 2025 at the ‘Faith in Democracy’ vigil

American flags fly with a beautiful bright blue sky
Lynne Gilbert/Getty Images
David L. Nevins
By David L. NevinsDec 25, 2024
David L. Nevins
David L. Nevins serves as publisher of The Fulcrum. Additionally, Nevins serves as co-founder and Board Chairman of the Bridge Alliance. Nevins brings business acumen, vision and a tireless this-must-and-can-be-done zeal to the burgeoning movement to bridge divides to transform the political process. As a business leader, Nevins excels at building bridges between people and organizations from the right, left and center for civilized conversation and then action. He co-founded the Bridge Alliance because, as he says, “No matter how well managed and how well funded anyone organization is, significant political reform will not happen without an alliance to further collaborative interactions. Together we can and will raise the collective impact of all.” He is a member of the Aspen Institute Society of Fellows, with a focus on the Aspen Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership, he established and continues to work with The Nevins Democracy Leaders program at Penn State University. Nevins graduated with honors in economics from Penn State in 1969 and received an M.B.A. in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1971.
See More Writings by author

Every year during the holiday season, The Fulcrum publishes stories that reflect themes of the holiday season, with universal messages that are central to the holiday spirit — messages of love, kindness, hope and generosity that are universal values to peoples of all cultures and backgrounds.

This season is no different. On this Christmas day we have a special announcement: The fourth annual Faith in Democracy interfaith vigil will take place Jan. 5 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It will be led by the Franciscan Action Network, Sojourners, Faith in Peace Concerts, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and many other partners that will bring together faith leaders and believers from a variety of traditions, all speaking from sacred texts that guide us to protect the rights of all and to resolve our differences without violence.

In the United States, our way of doing that is through a properly functioning and fully representative democracy.

You can join the vigil live and or on a livestream. Hear inspirational music and interfaith messages that unify Americans by emphasizing a strong commitment to, and concerns about, our democracy and our freedoms at this critical juncture.

“We believe that people of faith can be uniters, not dividers. We are relieved that the elections of 2024 have been accepted as free and fair. But we have real concerns about democracy, justice and freedom in America at this juncture. For our country to heal and unite, we must never forget what happened here four years ago, and we must hold those responsible accountable,” said David Searby, project director of Faith in Peace Concerts.

Franciscan Action Network Executive Director Michele Dunne said: “As Franciscans, we are called to act as peacemakers and bridge-builders as well as advocates, but not at the expense of justice. The legacy of January 6 continues to divide Americans and create concern about the health of our democracy as well as our ability to resolve political differences without violence.”

The Faith In Democracy vigil will take place Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at 3:30 p.m. ET on Seventh Street at the center of the National Mall between Jefferson Drive and Madison Drive, live and online. Organizers seek to flip the script on Jan. 6 to create a day of continual unity behind democracy, justice and peace. Let's come together to pray for democracy, peace, and unity as our newly elected officials take office.

Register to attend in person or via livestream.

Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

Latest news

Texas redistricting maps
Governance & Legislation

Congress Bill Spotlight: Anti-Rigging Act, Banning Mid-Decade Redistricting As Texas and California Are Attempting

Independent Madness- or How the Cheshire Cat Can Slay the Gerrymander
Governance & Legislation

Independent Madness- or How the Cheshire Cat Can Slay the Gerrymander

Read More

League of Women Voters of Arkansas President Bonnie Miller on a hike, standing in front of a landscape view.

Katie Fahey speaks with League of Women Voters of Arkansas President Bonnie Miller on democracy reform across the state and her work in civically educating and engaging residents.

The Fahey Q&A With Bonnie Miller of the League of Women Voters, Arkansas

Since organizing the Voters Not Politicians 2018 ballot initiative that put citizens in charge of drawing Michigan's legislative maps, Fahey has been the founding executive director of The People, which is forming statewide networks to promote government accountability. She regularly interviews colleagues in the world of democracy reform for our Opinion section.

Bonnie Miller is known for her activism in democracy reform in Arkansas and is the current president of the League of Women Voters of Arkansas and chair of Save AR Democracy, a campaign to protect ballot initiatives in Arkansas. In 2020, Miller led the Arkansas Voters First campaign, which garnered significant support but was eventually struck down by the Arkansas Supreme Court. She continues to lead the fight for a better democracy in her state while also working in higher education at the University of Arkansas School of Law.

Keep ReadingShow less
Republican, Democratic and independent checkboxes, with the third one checked
Independents will decide the election. What do we know about them?
zimmytws/Getty Images

Tired of the Two-Party Gridlock? Independents Offer a Way Out

Something feels wrong. American Democracy is supposed to be the beacon of hope that leads the free world. But for far too many, it feels like our votes do not elect leaders who truly represent what is best for our families and our communities.

Affordability of basic necessities is out of reach, and issues that have over 70% support from the public rarely get a second glance from those who are supposed to represent us. And at this point, our representatives are too busy fighting to maintain power than they are fixing the issues that we as Americans face.

Keep ReadingShow less
How Texas’ Mid-Decade Redistricting Could Affect Voters in One Houston Community

Then-U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner addresses a crowd at Houston City Hall in October 2024. Turner died in March, and his 18th District congressional seat has been vacant since then, with a special election set for Nov. 4. The district is one of five Republicans have targeted in a mid-decade redistricting effort aimed at gaining an advantage in Congress.

Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune

How Texas’ Mid-Decade Redistricting Could Affect Voters in One Houston Community

Adrian Izaguirre grew up in Houston’s South Park neighborhood, a historically low-income community tucked between Interstates 610 and 45, south of downtown. He still calls that place home.

For years, he has seen his neighbors struggle to find affordable housing and access to quality education. On any given day, Izaguirre and other residents in the predominantly Latino and Black neighborhood would have a hard time quickly accessing a local hospital. There are few nearby.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Hidden Cause (and Higher Stakes) of the Gerrymandering Crisis

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about the “Election Rigging Response Act” at a press conference at the Democracy Center, Japanese American National Museum on August 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Newsom spoke about a possible California referendum on redistricting to counter the legislative effort to add five Republican House seats in the state of Texas.

Getty Images, Mario Tama

The Hidden Cause (and Higher Stakes) of the Gerrymandering Crisis

The first shots in the gerrymandering wars have now been fired. Texas Republicans rammed a new gerrymandered map through the legislature, forcing police escorts on Democratic lawmakers until the power grab was complete. California Governor Gavin Newsom has fired back with his “Election Rigging Response Act”— a response that will, sadly, also involve rigging elections. The Act would sideline California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission until 2031 so Democrats can oust five Republicans from California’s congressional delegation as payback.

To be clear, the actions taken by Texas and California are not equal—one’s a brazen power grab, the other a response to that power grab. But it’s still deeply concerning that California could become the first state to backtrack from independent redistricting, just when increasing polarization makes these and other independent institutions even more essential.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025