Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Your take: 'I stand for ...'

sample posters
Made By Use

Garson is legal counsel and chief of staff for the Bridge Alliance, which houses The Fulcrum.

From June 12 through the Fourth of July, our friends at Made By Us are hosting the second annual Civic Season in Atlanta. The event is a celebration of civic engagement across the country – one which the Bridge Alliance was honored to take part in with the 5th American Civic Collaboration Awards (Civvys).

The purpose of Civic Season is to start a new tradition of rewinding, reflecting and re-imagining our story, and participants are invited to take part with a simple prompt:

I Stand For ______ When I ________


We extended the same invitation to The Fulcrum’s readers and Bridge Alliance supporters, and the responses we received were invigorating. For example:

  • Ellen wrote that she stands for “democracy” when she “fights corruption.”
  • Mary wrote that she stands for “social justice” when she “accepts all people.”
  • Renee wrote that she stands for “civility and tolerance” when she exercises her vote, through her activism and in public discourse.

A few others took the opportunity to tell us a story about their passion for America, including this awesome story from 16-year-old Bobby:

“I stand for civics education in schools when I speak to my peers about it. I'm a 16-year-old high school student from Oregon, and last speech season, I wrote and performed a 10-minute memorized oratory (persuasive) speech about why we must fund and then mandate civics education that teaches our youth how our democratic republic functionally works. This is a topic I've been passionate about since before discovering the amazing work that the Bridge is doing, and a topic that I will continue to fight for until our future voters are able to make more informed decisions about our nation's future.”

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Finally, I was thrilled when I saw this message from Rachel, who made full use of Civic Season’s interactive digital poster:

Civic Season poster

Read More

Megan Thee Stallion in front of an audience waving "Kamala" signs

Singer Megan Thee Stallion performs at a Kamala Harris rally in Atlanta on July 30.

Julia Beverly/Getty Images

Do Charli XCX’s and Kid Rock’s endorsements make a difference? 19% of young people admit they might.

Longoria is an associate professor of political science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

British pop star Charli XCX sent many young people’s group text chats and social media feeds wild when she endorsed Kamala Harris by playing off a term she coined in a song, and posted on X, that “kamala IS brat.”

While this endorsement, which happened in July 2024, likely means very little to most adults who don’t follow the singer’s music, it is considered high praise among young people. Harris’ campaign astutely embraced Charli XCX’s support – temporarily changing the background of its X profile to the same shade of lime green that Charlie XCX favors.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande

Sarah Morris/WireImage/Getty Images

Ariana Grande for Harris. Kanye West for Trump. Does it matter?

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

It didn’t take long after Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Kamala Harris became the odds-on favorite to be the Democratic Party's nominee for the celebrity endorsements to follow. Within a few days, Ariana Grande, Cardi B and John Legend all publicly announced their support for Harris.

Of course, not all celebrities are Democrats and Donald Trump has his share of celebrity support as well — people like Ye (Kanye West), Jason Aldean and Kid Rock, who endorsed Trump in the past and are likely to endorse him once again.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jay-Z on stage

Hip-hop legend Jay-Z performs at a 2012 rally for President Barack Obama, who changed how politicans connect with pop culture icons.

Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images

From Rock the Vote to TikTok: Pop culture’s political influence

Johnson is a United Methodist pastor, the author of "Holding Up Your Corner: Talking About Race in Your Community" and program director for the Bridge Alliance, which houses The Fulcrum.

In 1992, a young Bill Clinton tried to connect with Generation X by joking around and soulfully playing the sax on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” It was a game-changer that forever shifted how presidential candidates court younger voters.

Nowadays, it's not about late-night talk shows but about getting attention on social media platforms like TikTok. The relationship between pop culture and politics has evolved with each generation, keeping pace with the changing times and new technologies. It's crucial to understand this evolution and what it means for how future generations will engage with politics.

Keep ReadingShow less
Simone Biles
Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages

Simone Biles wins gold in life’s balancing act

Lockard is an Iowa resident who regularly contributes to regional newspapers and periodicals. She is working on the second of a four-book fictional series based on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice."

The closing ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will take place this Sunday, Aug. 11. Officially called the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, they have provided a thrilling spectacle, a glimpse of the world together and on its best behavior.

Team USA’s Simone Biles will leave the City of Lights with an additional four Olympic medals, three gold (the team event, all around and vault) plus a silver in floor exercise, bringing her Olympic treasure trove to 11. Added to her 30 world championship medals, Biles is the most decorated gymnast ever. With five awe-inspiring skills named for her, she dominates the sport — truly the Greatest of All Time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Man in red and blue outfit walking in front of the Capitol.

Tony Zorc is bringing is "Congressman Curly" show to Washington, D.C.

Tony Zorc

Congressman Curly brings rockin' comedy to democracy

The Fulcrum has published many writings over the years about how pop culture in America has amazing healing and connecting powers. Our nation’s history is rich with examples of how artists, entertainers, athletes and creators of every kind invite us into a space of transcendence that leads to connectivity. We see that when we join people together their energy can be harnessed for good, and then amplified and scaled.

Certainly comedy fits in perfectly. Laughter is the embodiment of depolarization. Just consider that in order for something to evoke laughter, it has to have the capacity to both hold tension and release tension at the same time.

Keep ReadingShow less