In 2018, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David M. Kennedy came together from remarkably different backgrounds, life experiences and points of view to explore the idea of a unifying American creed. In the feature length American Creed PBS documentary, their spirited inquiry framed the stories of a range of citizen-activists striving to realize their own visions of America’s promise across deep divides. 

Now, in the new PBS documentary series, American Creed: Citizen Power, Drs. Kennedy and Rice are reuniting to gather together a diverse supergroup of young leaders who take on what the young leaders see as increasingly urgent issues that threaten democracy in their own communities and beyond. Each 30 minute episode for PBS, and a series of shorter films for classrooms and YouTube, will explore how these “extraordinary, ordinary” young leaders, representing a wide spectrum of backgrounds and beliefs, discover their power to take action.

Across PBS channels and in person in classrooms and community centers across the United States, American Creed: Citizen Power continues a successful ongoing initiative, exploring ideals of freedom, fairness and opportunity that have fueled the expansion of democratic participation and civil rights at key moments throughout our history. With the help of our partners listed below, the PBS half hour documentary episodes and associated curriculum will invite large and diverse audiences to engage with challenges including economic and educational inequity, environmental degradation, political polarization, and the erosion of democratic norms and institutions.