Shellee O'Brien
Shellee O'Brien

Shellee O'Brien

Creature of community; Idea gatherer; Citizen-at-large approaching the work of an engaged citizenry like the future depends on it. Founder, Politicolor.com

Medium member since November 2017
·
Editor of Politicolor
258 Following
142 Followers
·

Surviving Election 2020: How will you resist the “prophets of doom?”

Frederick Douglass’s vision for the United States in 1869 can help.

Jan 14 · 4 min read

What was your first political act?

Connecting to an idea of something bigger than yourself

Jun 12, 2019 · 2 min read

Questions of Civic Proportions: Stories that Carry Us Forward

(And have nothing to do with who the President is)

Jun 5, 2019 · 7 min read

Keep Dreaming Democracy: Lessons from ancient Athens on practicing democracy today

We believe reading is a civic duty. The titles getting the spotlight in our #CitizensRead Book Club make their own case for what we can…

May 21, 2019 · 4 min read

Questions of Civic Proportions: How to respond to “I don’t know where to start.”

I don’t know where to start. News goes by at a staggering pace.

May 10, 2019 · 5 min read

The Citizen’s Job to Ask Big Questions

How to engage the ideas of good government

Mar 1, 2019 · 5 min read

Better Civics: How to Get the Questions Right

A popular refrain of the moment is that we need civics education in classrooms again. More civics. New voices join that chorus without…

Aug 14, 2018 · 5 min read

Let’s Talk More: Austin’s Ben Franklin Circle finds that temperance isn’t as outdated as it sounds

There has been a lot of hand-wringing over whether or not Americans can still talk to each other. Online or off, political discussions are…

Feb 28, 2018 · 5 min read

Daily Sketch: For the Sake of the Fallen, Sgt. La David Johnson

For October 24, 2017

Oct 24, 2017 · 3 min read

Open Austin Asks: What’s with You and Civic Tech?

A seemingly simple question refuses to settle on a fixed answer. The most recognizable names in civic tech all have their own answers to…

Oct 9, 2017 · 3 min read

An Old Photo was Missing Everything Until Puerto Rico Needed Our Help

There’s a man in the picture who appears to have nothing. He wears overalls and a hat. His whole face is in shadow but I imagine it to look…

Oct 1, 2017 · 7 min read

Grit in Service to Civic Life

Congressman John Lewis shows us this is a real thing

May 19, 2017 · 6 min read

Deciding to March: The Civic Duty of “What the Hell?”

Their stories neither started in January nor ended with that day after the inauguration or the headlines for Women’s History Month. Whether…

Apr 4, 2017 · 10 min read

My Fellow Americans: Good Government is a Good Thing

Shortly after Donald J. Trump took the oath of office, one of this country’s most treasured celebrities posted a new status update. I’m…

Mar 1, 2017 · 5 min read

Finding the Way Forward for Civic Education

I read the suggestion to “find solace in your tribe,” and I knew exactly who I needed to talk to in the days ahead. I have always counted a…

Nov 13, 2016 · 5 min read

Let’s Talk: A Conversation about Faith and Understanding at a Texas High School

The posters extended an invitation: “Let’s Talk.” The next line hinted at a joke that could get uncomfortable… “A Christian, a Muslim and a…

Aug 14, 2016 · 9 min read

Call for Submissions: Making the Case for Civics like it Matters

What if the symbolic gesture of adding a flag pin to your lapel represented everything we know about what civics is and why it matters…

Apr 13, 2016 · 5 min read

Music is the Message: Janelle Monae’s Anthem Will Not Be Ignored

It isn’t that the news didn’t move me. The names had started to wash over me like everyone else. New day? New story about a black American…

Mar 18, 2016 · 4 min read

How to Start Something: Criminal Justice Reform and Buying In

This article was originally published on Politicolor.com where individuals engaged in civic life show their work.

Mar 11, 2016 · 9 min read

Call for Submissions: Everyday Leadership and the Question, “Why Don’t We Do it?”

Many “political nerds” have their favorite heroes. Notorious RBG t-shirts aren’t hard to find. These heroes also make for spirited…

Mar 1, 2016 · 5 min read