Far too many Americans are illiterate in power — what it is, how it operates and why some people have it. As a result, those few who do understand power wield disproportionate influence over everyone else. “We need to make civics sexy again,” says civics educator Eric Liu. “As sexy as it was during the American Revolution or the Civil Rights Movement.”
 
Nonetheless, self-appointed “authorities” on the subject of power continue to bloviate about it, offering anecdotal evidence in support of their delusional perceptions and flimsy assertions.
 
Eric Liu is a civics educator and founder of Citizen University, which brings together leaders, activists and practitioners to teach the art of effective and creative citizenship.
 
Civics is about the teaching of power. So why don’t more Americans understand how power works? In this talk, Eric talks about ways to make civics sexy again — and why cities must be a democratic laboratory for experimentation and innovation.
 
Here is a direct link to his TEDTalk.
 
Eric Liu is an author, educator, and civic entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Citizen University, which promotes and teaches the art of great citizenship through a portfolio of national programs (www.citizenuniversity.us). His books include the national bestseller The Gardens of Democracy, co-authored with Nick Hanauer. Eric also co-authored The True Patriot with Hanauer, and together the two have created the True Patriot Network to advance the book’s ideals of progressive patriotism.  His first book, The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, was a New York Times Notable Book featured in the PBS documentary “Matters of Race.” His other books include Guiding Lights: How to Mentor – and Find Life’s Purpose, the Official Book of National Mentoring Month; and Imagination First, co-authored with Scott Noppe-Brandon of the Lincoln Center Institute, which explores ways to unlock imagination in education, politics, business and the arts.
 
To learn more about him, please click here.