TED Democracy Philadelphia: A Timeline

2024: TED Democracy Fireside Chats

The TED Democracy Fireside Chat initiative brought together big thinkers and civic leaders who are protecting and reimagining democracies across the globe.

Each event featured TED Talks from esteemed thought leaders, followed by moderated Q&A sessions with the audience, along with light bites and refreshments.

Held at historic locations in Philadelphia, the first two of these three chats were also live-streamed at key community centers throughout the city.

TED Democracy Fireside Chat 2: The Power of Participation

Held at historic Eastern State Penitentiary on September 19, 2024, the second TED Democracy Fireside Chat focused on the power of participation.

The event featured special guest Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and was hosted by moderator and political commentator Sally Kohn.

The evening spotlighted thought-provoking TED Talks from two of the nation’s most influential voices for voting change:

• Katie Fahey, citizen changemaker and executive director of The People, who led a successful movement in her home state of Michigan against gerrymandering, the practice of drawing district lines to favor one political party over others, and
• Desmond Meade, a formerly homeless returning citizen who now serves as president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a grassroots organization that has helped restore voting rights to more than 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions.

TED Democracy Fireside Chat 3: Moving Forward Together

Held at Reading Terminal Market on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, the third TED Democracy: Fireside Chat event focused on finding common ground in moments of profound disagreement.

Hosted by award-winning journalist, filmmaker and TED curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, the event featured talks from:

• Julia Dhar, business strategist and champion debater, and
• Scott Shigeoka, author and curiosity expert.

2025: TED Democracy Speaker Series

TED Democracy Speaker Series 1: Under Pressure

Held at the Tony Award-winning Wilma Theatre on March 6, 2025, the first TED Democracy Speaker Series event examined where democracy stands in America today and moments in time that could reveal where it might go next.

Attendees heard from:

• Dannagal Young, a social psychologist who examines the psychological roots of political divides and how they’re exploited to create further division
• Majora Carter, an urban revitalizer who proposes a restorative economic approach for residents to find success in struggling neighborhoods
• Sofia Ong’ele, a digital disruptor who urges us all to identify our own creative superpowers to create change and bring movement to life

The event also featured a live performance by Philadelphia’s poet laureate, Kai Davis.

TED Democracy Speaker Series 2: Truth, Trust & the Media

Held at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on May 21, 2025, and hosted by writer Wajahat Ali, the second TED Democracy Speaker Series brought together an all-star lineup of thought leaders, media experts and innovators to explore the power and pitfalls of the media.

Speakers and presenters included:

• Patrick Chappatte, editorial cartoonist, on the necessity of satire
• Andrew Marantz, writer for The New Yorker, on internet trolls and social media propagandists
• Peter McIndoe, “Birds Aren’t Real” theorist, on how conspiracies take flight
• Claire Wardle, misinformation expert, on the challenges of the polluted online environment and how to transform the internet into a place of trust, and
• Philadelphia’s own Solomon Jones, award-winning radio host and columnist.

Peter McIndoe at TED Democracy Speaker Series 2   — Photo by Visit Philadelphia

TED Democracy Speaker Series 3: Opportunity for All

What does it take to create a society where everyone has a fair shot? The third installment of the TED Democracy Speaker Series: Opportunity for All explored how we can build a society where everyone has access to education, economic mobility, safety, belonging and dignity.

The event was held on October 14, 2025 at the Penn Museum.

Attendees heard from:

• Michael Tubbs, a visionary leader who shared his bold vision for change shaped by his own experience growing up amid poverty and violence
• Amanda Renteria, a digital public servant transforming the way government serves its people
• Eric Liu, a civic educator on a mission to make “civics sexy again”

  — Photo by Visit Philadelphia

2026: TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures

Visit Philadelphia and TED are collaborating to create TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures — a one-day event on June 13, 2026, at the Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Through a series of brand-new TED Talks from more than a dozen of the world’s brightest thinkers and changemakers, the event will explore the democratic future we want to create while giving a nod to the past and the important milestone we’re marking in Philadelphia.

To learn more about the event, click here.

Find Your Elected Officials

One way you can use your superpowers to protect democracy: through Visit Philadelphia’s partners at The Committee of Seventy.

The Committee of Seventy’s website makes it easy to find your elected officials, so you can make your voice heard.

It also has a list of more than 70 ways you can get involved in strengthening local democracy, big or small.

Click the button below to visit their website and plan how you’ll take action to protect democracy.

A Note About TED Democracy

Visit Philadelphia is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the rich cultural and historical heritage of our city, including its role as the birthplace of modern American democracy. We are committed to making Philadelphia the most welcoming and inclusive city in the U.S. for visitors and residents.

The TED Democracy and Visit Philadelphia partnership, a series of events focusing on the future of democracy from 2024 to 2026, was created to align with the cultural conversations that will take place as we approach America’s 250th anniversary.

Our goal is to offer attendees a thought-provoking and educational experience that respects individual views and beliefs, all while honoring the spirit of dialogue our founding fathers practiced nearly 250 years ago here in Philadelphia.

Visit Philadelphia does not participate in political campaigns, nor support or oppose candidates for public office. We expressly disclaim any statement, or inference, of endorsement or opposition of any political candidate at any TED Democracy event, whether made by its speakers, participants or otherwise.