Beyond Politics: Nurturing Informed Citizens

Join Retro Report on Thursday, April 10, from 7 to 9 p.m., for an in-person screening of the first episode of and a panel discussion on civics skills at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library's auditorium in Washington, D.C.

is a Retro Report and PBS four-part series that follows teenagers from across the U.S. with diverse personal and political backgrounds as they come together to compete in the Center for Civic Education’s Competition.

The panel discussion will be moderated by John Donvan, host of Open to Debate. It will feature educators, experts and a new generation of leaders who are discovering what it means to show up, be civil and tackle the big issues straight on.

RSVP required.

Retro Report is an Emmy award-wining nonprofit newsroom dedicated to producing documentary journalism and educational resources. Retro Report has created documentaries in partnership with PBS Frontline, The New York Times, the New Yorker, PBS NewsHour, Scientific American and many others. Retro Report's educational resources reach about 30,000 teachers a month.

A Pulitzer Prize Finalist and multiple Emmy Award winner, John Donvan currently serves as Moderator-in-Chief for Open to Debate, the nation's premier debate program, heard on public radio and via podcast. As a journalist, Donvan held multiple global postings for ABC News and CNN, including Moscow, London, Jerusalem, Amman and the White House. His 2016 book, In A Different Key: The Story of Autism, was a New York Times bestseller, and the basis for his documentary of the same title which was broadcast on PBS and was winner of the RFK Award.

Natasha Dupee is the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives in Washington, D.C. A fifth-generation native Washingtonian, she is committed to creating and defending policies that increase access to a quality life. Her professional background includes workforce development for hospital systems, political campaigns, project management, and various roles in secondary and post-secondary education.

Stephanie Hasty is an English teacher at Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, MD, and a member of Retro Report's Council of Educators. She grew up in Mansfield, MO, where the "Little House" books were written, and learned to embrace her identity as a woman of mixed heritage in the Ozarks. Her journey has been shaped by the challenges and rewards of small-town life and she loves sharing this perspective with her students in suburban Maryland.

Maddy Waldman is a senior at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., but she was born and raised in upstate New York. She is a multi-disciplined artist who focuses on documentary filmmaking and creative writing. Through her work, she hopes to tell stories you can’t always see.

Journeylove Taylor is one of the students featured on CITIZEN NATION. She graduated from Wauwatosa West High School in Wauwatosa, WI, and is a coach for the We The People competition.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street Northwest, Washington, United States