In this time of democratic erosion, it is vital for global democracy champions to share insights. On July 21, the Kettering Global Conversation on Democracy: Solidarity across Borders brought together democracy scholars, practitioners, and activists to share learnings and explore democratic challenges facing countries around the world.

The gathering, an initiative of the Kettering Foundation’s Democracy around the Globe focus area, was an opportunity to catalyze partnerships among global democracy champions, bolster our collective courage, and strengthen solidarity as we forge a path forward toward inclusive democratic futures. Speakers included KF Global Fellows Koketso Moeti, Chris Muriithi, Flávia Pellegrino, Gábor Scheiring, and Ivan Vejvoda; KF Senior Fellows María Teresa Kumar and Steven Levitsky; and Elyssa Feder, executive director, Rising Organizers, and Maria J. Stephan, co-lead and chief organizer, The Horizons Project.

Some of the questions considered included:

• How can democracies become resistant to authoritarian actors?
• How can we organize both within and across borders given that authoritarian threats are global?
• What does it mean to build a democracy that doesn’t just tolerate difference but embraces it?