The second day of Democracy360 emphasized the power of dialogue and debate, bringing together voices across generations and perspectives to strengthen democracy through listening, learning, and shared understanding.

The day opened with “Join the Conversation: A ‘Braver Angels’ Debate,” where ten debaters from UVA, local high schools, and the wider community took the podium to address the resolution: “Proof of citizenship should be required to vote.” In the packed Rotunda Dome Room designed by Thomas Jefferson, audience members listened closely, posed thoughtful questions, and responded to key points with “rousing rounds of snaps” and stomps of appreciation that echoed within the 200-year-old space.

“Democracy is an ongoing conversation,” said moderator Bryan Paul, a curricular fellow for the College Debates and Discourse Alliance. “If we can’t have conversations on the most challenging, the most controversial issues facing our nation today, how can you possibly expect to ‘keep’ this republic, as Benjamin Franklin said?”

Paul encouraged the audience to “shed our hierarchy,” listen deeply, and lead with respect. Healthy debate, he said, should “never stifle emotion, but channel it into constructive thoughts to encourage conversation.”

We also heard from experts about how technology, the economy, and community intersect to create opportunities and challenges for democracy in the 21st century. In “Building the American Dream: Work, Tech, and Community in a Shifting Economy,” panelists shared differing perspectives on how to make the American Dream more attainable for everyone, and found common ground around one central idea: people need to feel heard by their leaders.

“I think there’s an increasing recognition from both sides that if local communities don’t have the authority to make their own choices, we will lose a lot,” said Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass.

“There’s a feeling that politics now is less capable of delivering,” added Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowrey.

Offering a different perspective, New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie emphasized the same theme of listening. “When you ask what is to be done,” he said, “part of my answer is that those responsible for representing the public should listen to the public—not the national public, but the discrete public that they represent.”

The evening closed with “Washington Week with The Atlantic @D360.” Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg joined staff writers Tom Nichols, Vivian Salama, and Nancy Youssef on stage for a special live edition of the PBS series, streamed from Democracy360. The panel explored U.S. national security, global challenges, and the health of democracy at home and abroad.

Youssef, who has reported from the Pentagon for 18 years, shared a first-hand account of the day prior, when she and dozens of colleagues across many news outlets turned in their access badges in protest of new press restrictions imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

In addition to the public events, community members, scholars and practitioners from across the country participated in working sessions to exchange ideas about America’s future. In the “Cultivating America’s Civic Renewal” working session, participants discussed how to rebuild the connective tissue within American communities and articulate a renewed vision for civic life. Meanwhile, attendees at the three-day Higher Education Democracy Exchange (HEDx) working session continued exploring data-driven strategies to expand civic learning and strengthen democratic engagement across campuses nationwide.

Democracy360 concludes today with more dynamic conversations about American laws and norms, the shared legacy of 1776, and the stories that shape not just our individual lives, but our communities and the nation.

View highlights from Day 1 and Day 3.