When do we feel free to speak openly – and when do we remain silent?

What risks and responsibilities accompany freedom of expression?

How can we build trust and connected relationships across disagreement?

Declaration of Interdependence is a cohort convened by The Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics at Georgetown University and the Charles F. Kettering Foundation’s Democracy & The Arts Program. Over seven weeks, a diverse cohort of DMV community members has explored questions of freedom of expression, civic responsibility, and human connection. This cohort offers a rare opportunity for participants to step outside the usual frameworks of debate, advocacy, and polarization. Rather than defending positions or persuading each other of their views, the process invites them to share and encounter one another’s lived experiences and explore how questions of expression, silence, courage, and responsibility shape all our lives. Through a process of deep listening and story exchange using The Lab’s internationally recognized In Your Shoes™ methodology, the cohort has created an original performance built entirely from their own words and experiences.