Name: Session Three: Forging Ahead
Start: 2026-06-13T16:00:00-0400
End: 2026-06-13T17:30:00-0400

Saturday June 13, 2026 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT

Two hundred and fifty years after the Declaration of Independence was signed just blocks from where we’re gathered, the work of defining democracy continues.

This final session looks ahead: Who gets to shape what comes next, whose voices are missing from the conversation and what becomes possible when we widen the circle and imagine beyond the systems we’ve inherited?

Speakers

Jon Alexander

Citizen Futurist

Jon Alexander is a strategist, storyteller and author of CITIZENS: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us. His work centers on building a “Citizen Future,” grounded in the belief that collective intelligence can reshape systems and society. A former advertising creative... Read More →

Louis King II

Economic Mobilizer

Louis J. King II is the president and CEO of OIC of America, where he leads a national network advancing workforce development and economic mobility.

With more than 30 years of experience in education, youth empowerment and career training, he works to expand opportunity through... Read More →

Sally Kohn

Writer & Communications Strategist

A frequent guest on CNN and MSNBC — and, once upon a time, Fox News — Sally’s first book The Opposite of Hate was published in April 2018. She is on the Board of Contributors for USA Today and a contributing editor to Afar magazine. Sally is also a TED Curator and her three... Read More →

Janelle A.N. Persaud

Postcolonial Thinker

Janelle A.N. Persaud is a Guyanese writer, communications strategist and civic thinker focused on democracy, development and governance in postcolonial societies.

She writes the column From Where I Stand, examining how political and economic systems shape everyday life in the Gl... Read More →

Jasmine E. Sessoms

Civic Power Strategist

Jasmine E. Sessoms is a civic strategist and systems builder focused on how power operates in modern democracy.

She is the founder of Center 1968, where she equips Black women to lead in politics, policy and civic life, and the founder of Firm 1968, a consulting practice support... Read More →

Laura Smythe

Media Literacy Advocate

Laura Smythe is a strategic communications expert and journalist exploring how people understand truth in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

Her work examines the intersection of legacy journalism, social media, AI platforms and the creator economy, and how these systems shape... Read More →

Young Philadelphian's Continental Congress

Together with the School District of Philadelphia, the Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia has launched The Young Philadelphian’s Continental Congress (YPhCC). YPhCC strengthens the knowledge and power of history, increases understanding of our democracy, and galvanizes civic... Read More →

Saturday June 13, 2026 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Marian Anderson Hall 300 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102

TED Stage

TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures