Serving up a Slice of History
This fourth annual Civic Season, we kicked off on June 15 weekend with “pizza parties” for 18–30 year-olds, across the country.
Civic Season is a new tradition of learning and action between Juneteenth and July 4th every year. Launched in 2021, Civic Season is co-created by Gen Z and the nation’s cultural institutions and is designed to grow and iterate through the United States’ 250th birthday in 2026. This summer, we invite everyone to connect their stories as part of our national campaign — and we are kicking off the celebration old school!
A blast from the past to fuel our future
Younger generations want to learn “the history they weren’t taught in school.” But they also want to network, make connections, be entertained, and eat. That’s why we came up with Slice of History! Slice of History Meet-Ups offers a way to do all those things at once! Inspired by our partnership with Pizza to the Polls, Slice of History Meet-Ups for 18–30-year-olds bring a retro, throwback vibe reminiscent of classroom pizza parties.
By providing a template, fun graphics, and optional add-ons like fill-in-the-blank posters and more, we created a plug-and-play program folks could customize based on location. Plus, as part of a nationwide campaign, we worked together to amplify these events locally and nationally. This year with the help of many organizations and museums, gave out a total of 2,500 slices of pizza from a total of 30 Slice of History events across the country!
Take a look at a few different takes on Slice of History events this year:
Liberty Hall Historic Site in Frankfort, KY: Liberty Hall hosted a Slice of History filled with history trivia, food, and prizes at a local Pizza Pub!
Idaho State Museum in Boise, ID: Idaho State Museum hosted a Teen Takeover! Guests ate pizza, made crafts, completed scavenger hunts, and learned about what it was like to be a child in Idaho throughout time- an exhibit created by Idaho State Museum GEM High School Interns!
Mexican American Civil Rights Institute in San Antonio, TX: Slice of History was celebrated at this event by playing Mexican American civil rights-themed Lotería! Prizes were awarded and of course, pizza was served. This event was created with the help of Youth Do Vote and local Northwest Vista College.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, GA: Jimmy Carter Presidential Library kicked off Civic Season by celebrating Juneteenth. This Slice of History included storytellers, crafts, civics scavenger hunts, and civics and Juneteenth trivia.
There were many more amazing and impactful Slice of History events this year. Slice of History was a great opportunity to partner with communities. Whether hosting on-site or choosing another social-friendly space, this was the perfect time to connect with local pizza joints or breweries.
We surveyed youth who attended Slice of History events across the country and here’s what they said:
“It was a good environment that felt friendly and accommodating to all.”
“Very friendly staff! Everything was great!”
“Activities spurred conversation about how I engage (or don’t) in civics through my everyday activities in relation to values/topics I am passionate about (eg. coloring pages, table centerpieces with questions, computer games).”
“Favorite part: ability to explore the museum, convenient time”
Overall, sentiments about Slice of History events were generally positive. The majority of young people said the events were very welcoming and inclusive. Many comments were saying how delighted they were attending their local Slice of History events.
