A Public Thing

A Public Thing is an experimental civic platform designed to create open space, in public and in print, for substantive conversation on pressing societal issues. Through ongoing gatherings and publications, A Public Thing opens up space for conversations—face-to-face, in print, and online—that have the potential to change the way we think, work, and live.

The first iteration of A Public Thing took place on Saturday, November 5, 2011 around the theme Financial Engagement. About 50 people gathered at Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis to talk frankly about money, debt, big banks vs. credit unions, financial dependence/interdependence, and how all of this impacts our communities. We published personal responses from this gathering in a newspaper that hit the streets just before Black Friday, 2011.