Close

RadicalxChange Detroit – Day 1 Summary

RadicalxChange

April 1, 2019

RadicalxChange’s first conference, from March 22nd-24th at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, was a huge success! Over the course of three days, nearly 400 attendees engaged with brilliant minds from academia, arts, policy, and technology. In addition to keynotes and panels, workshops on topics from science fiction writing to game design allowed conference participants to transform compelling ideas into actions.

The first day kicked off with Executive Director Jeff Lee-Yaw describing the birth of the RadicalxChange movement and the guiding vision that defines it. Jeff related the basic beliefs around which RadicalxChange coalesces: that institutions can be redesigned for the better, that rigorous methodology is useful, that moral and social principles come first, that diversity is essential, and that people are fundamentally good. The governing values are openness, earnestness, social innovation, and dignity. This is the foundation on which we hope to build a society that is more prosperous, free, and egalitarian.

Following Jeff was Richard Rogers, President of the College for Creative Studies, who elaborated the shared vision between the movement and the college. A place that has combined technological innovation and elegant design since its conception, the College for Creative Studies continues to aim to push the frontiers of pragmatic aesthetics.

The opening keynote was delivered by Baratunde Thurston, who spoke about how the current system of data ownership and monetization is failing society. His “New Tech Manifesto” captured many of the core goals of RadicalxChange and emphasized the collaborative model of social change that defines its ethos. He criticized technology companies for “engineering” society without transparency and diversity, and worried about the impact of business models that exacerbate our worst tendencies. But he went further by outlining concrete demands from tech companies and policy makers that would improve the landscape. Staying true to the value of openness, Baratunde’s manifesto persists as a Google Doc inviting the community to collaborate.

The last of the opening sessions revolved around community building, reflecting on what has worked for other movements that could aid RadicalxChange in furthering its success. Moderated by Founder Glen Weyl, the panel featured media professor Nathan Schneider, poet and data justice advocate Tawana Petty, and historian Marcia Chatelain. The panel highlighted the crucial need for diversity and local inclusion for ambitious movements to grow and succeed. Developing more inclusive language and broadening the topics of discussion became important hallmarks of moving RadicalxChange forward.

As the opening session concluded and breakouts began, the conference overflowed with content — more than any individual attendee could fully take in. From discussions on data dignity and identity by renowned mathematicians, designers, and social scientists, to critiques of our principles, engagement with leaders from several of our over 100 local groups that have sprouted around the world, discussions on disinformation campaigns and their targeting, and the announcement of an initiative to disrupt the two-party system via write-in votes–the conference exploded with ideas, conversations, and opportunities.

Alongside the frenzy of activity ran “unconference” sessions, which provided a dedicated space for attendees to design sessions of their owns, engaging an audience with their own ideas and work. A pilot of much broader community engagement to come, they proved to be one of the most sought after opportunities, as attendees filled all sign up spots for the three days within hours of registration opening.

After the rush of breakouts, attendees returned to the main conference room for a conversation between Glen Weyl and acclaimed musician, activist, and director of the acclaimed film Sorry to Bother You, Boots Riley on art’s role in political action, moderated by Ananya Chakravarti. Revolving around discussions of clips from Sorry to Bother You, the conversation addressed art as a tool for action, the obligations of artists to engage in the world, and the power of art to reveal hidden truths. The conversation proved to be one of the most interesting and provocative of the conference.

The day concluded with a screening of Bisbee’ 17, with director Robert Greene, whose powerful and intimate documentary looked back at the history and aftermath of a painful episode of anti-immigrant state action in early 20th century Arizona. Attendees left with a feeling of solidarity and understanding that would challenge them to return for another day of deepening engagement with radical ideas.

We thank everyone who attended and made this conference as marvelous as it was. We would also like to extend our gratitude to our generous sponsors who helped make this event possible: the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Omidyar Network, Wireline, the Institute for New Economic Thinking, The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the College for Creative Studies, The Center for Innovative Governance Research, Microsoft, Dunya Labs, Bunz, Totle, Democracy Earth, the Evil Twin Booking Agency, and Wellington Experience.