History shows us that it's our responsibility to strengthen and sustain democracy— not only during elections, but through year-round rituals of engaged citizenship. This past year’s challenges pushed us to imagine a new kind of tradition that more deeply connects us with our communities, our nation, and with the meaning and spirit of our founding values in the present. 

This inaugural Civic Season, we’re joining the nation’s history institutions and the next generation in inviting YOU to connect with our past, take action in the present, and shape the future. As we build towards the nation’s 250th anniversary, just 5 years away, the Civic Season reaches beyond civic responsibility to cultivate civic opportunity, with changes to pitch in, take part, and help write the next chapter of our history.

Kicking off Flag Day (June 14), ramping up as we approach Juneteenth (June 19) and culminating after Independence Day (July 4), explore the past and take action in the present, tied to the interests and issues that matter most to YOU. 

Pre-register today.

As a member of the #madebyus coalition, MUZEO is proud to present programs for the Inaugural Civics Season.

• June 3, 2021 | 7:00pm - Join Made By Us and History Club for a Socratic Dialogue about #CivicSeason on Clubhouse - RSVP: https://bit.ly/3eTB2jF 
• June 16 - August 11, 2021 - See "For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights in the Main Gallery
• June 17,  2021 | 7:00pm - Learn about OC's Civil Rights history with OC Human Relations on Zoom - RSVP: https://bit.ly/3fFAtub

Washington D.C. (June 14, 2021) — This Juneteenth, Made By Us and Civics Unplugged have joined forces to host the inaugural Civic Season, the start of a new annual tradition. Beginning on Flag Day (June 14), ramping up as we approach Juneteenth (June 19) and culminating after Independence Day (July 4), Civic Season is encouraging Americans to engage with our past, take action in the present and shape the future by taking part in events, exhibits and volunteer opportunities across the country. 

To take part in the inaugural Civic Season, participants will visit www.TheCivicSeason.com where they will find a directory of over 450 in-person and virtual activities submitted from nearly 200 historic sites, museums and organizations. Visitors to the site can curate their list of Civic Season experiences by selecting their interests (i.e. Independence and Freedom, African American Experience, Repairing and Remembering, etc.), location and amount of time they can spend, making it incredibly easy to get involved. The directory contains a wide range of submissions, examples include an online exhibit entitled “From Slavery to Freedom” at the John Heinz History Center, a live-streamed naturalization ceremony hosted by Monticello as well as several events and exhibitions commemorating Juneteenth and Independence Day.  

The Civic Season will also be promoted by a digital and social media campaign, including a kickoff video highlighting the voices of youth activists such as Jamie Margolin, Taylor Richardson and Miss Sara Mora as well as two public dialogues hosted on the Clubhouse app in collaboration with History Club. 

Made By Us is an unparalleled collaboration between over 100 of the nation’s leading history museums and civic institutions, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the National Archives Foundation, Monticello, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the First Americans Museum and the New-York Historical Society. The coalition’s mission is to present history to the next generation in relevant and provocative ways in order to inspire, inform and empower civic participation. Working alongside Civics Unplugged, a nonprofit social enterprise led by Gen Z’ers, Made By Us developed Civic Season to connect existing history and civics resources with the next generation’s appetite for topics like freedom, justice, identity, immigration, and citizenship. 

“Over the decades, the American story has been shaped by many hands and many moments, and those ideals have been unevenly shared,” said Neil A. Barclay, President and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum and a Made By Us steering committee member. “Part of Made By Us’ mission involves telling a more complete version of history, and empowering the next generation to take part in shaping the future.” 

While all Americans are invited to participate in Civic Season, Made By Us and Civics Unplugged aim to connect with the next generation—high school through age 30—a demographic that is highly engaged in understanding, creating and applying their civic identity. 

“Gen Z is one of the most civic-minded generations in history,” said Gary Sheng, co-founder and COO of Civics Unplugged. “By bringing together respected institutions and passionate young people for Civic Season, we have the power to create lasting traditions with unlimited potential.”

 In the summer of 2020, research conducted by Made By Us revealed that Gen Z was closely examining their patriotism, citizenship and what it means to be an American. At the same time, Civics Unplugged was building a cohort of Gen Z activists dedicated to the future of democracy. They saw an opportunity to imbue more meaning, complexity and connection to the 4th of July. Civic Season will provide all Americans with a meaningful way to reflect, commit, and take action to build a stronger democracy and shape a reinvigorated tradition. 

“The past year’s challenges revealed our interdependence, spotlighted our deficits, and drove a groundswell of interest in America’s future,” said Caroline Klibanoff, managing director of Made By Us.  “Through Civic Season’s powerful shared experiences, we can expand the dialogue around the impact that history has on all aspects of our lives.” 

The Civic Season is funded thanks to generous support from Maria Carlucci as well as AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate, a Mars Wrigley brand. 

“AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate has a mission of education and has long been committed to inspiring a love of learning,” said Gail Broadright, Director Sponsorships, Family Brands and Properties, Mars Wrigley. “This partnership builds upon the Mars family’s support of Made By Us and historical institutions around the country that help people discover the history, heritage, culture and stories of our nation.” 

About Made By Us 

Made By Us is an unparalleled collaboration between over 100 of the nation’s history museums to better engage Millennials and Gen-Z with American history to inspire, inform and empower civic participation. Led collectively by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Monticello, the National Archives Foundation, the First Americans Museum, Atlanta History Center, HistoryMiami Museum, Heinz History Center, New-York Historical Society, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History, and Missouri Historical Society, Made By Us creates programs and digital platforms to connect young people in every corner of the nation with our shared past, present and future. For more information, visit historymadebyus.com or follow @historymadebyus on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

About Civics Unplugged

Civics Unplugged is a nonpartisan, nonprofit social enterprise whose mission is to empower the leaders of Generation Z to build the future of democracy. Civics Unplugged exists to cultivate and grow a digital-first community of young leaders empowered to build the future of American democracy. CU is powered by a community of thousands of Gen Z leaders committed to strengthening democracy through civic entrepreneurship across the U.S. and around the world. For more information, visit civicsunplugged.org or follow @civicsunplugged on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

About AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate:

The AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate brand was developed in 2006 by Mars Chocolate North America (now Mars Wrigley) to help educate consumers about the history of our multicultural nation through the engaging story of one of our most beloved foods…chocolate!  With a flavor profile drawn directly from the archives of chocolate's historic past, AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate provides an artisanal, versatile way to eat, bake or drink a sweet taste of history. Rainforest Alliance Certified™ and made with no preservatives, AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate currently comes in four NEW unique formats: Tasting Squares, Tablet Bars, Grated Chocolate for baking/drinking and Gourmet Hot Cocoa. AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate is sold in over 200 fine gift shops at historic sites, museums and historic inns across the USA and Canada. The brand can also be found on Amazon.com, at M&M's World in New York City and Las Vegas, and at the Ethel M chocolate store in Henderson, Nevada.

Learn more about AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate at www.Facebook.com/AmericanHeritageChocolate, on Instagram at @AmericanHeritageChocolate, Twitter @Choc_history, Tumblr @americanheritagechocolate.tumblr.com, and on Pinterest @Chochistory.

About Mars, Incorporated

For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us.

 Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 125,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M’s®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, BEN’S ORIGINAL™, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world’s pets through our nutrition, health and services businesses, including AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, and VCA™.

 We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive. The Mars Compass, inspired by the Economics of Mutuality, is used to measure the company’s progress in service of its purpose; The world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today.

 For more information about Mars, please visit mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.