As things pull apart, the truth of our interdependence is revealed.
Challenge
Our democracy was founded in part on principles adapted from the indigenous governance of this land. But some key ideas were excluded…
Womens'
Leadership
Women’s and men's leadership balanced for societal integrity
Rights
of Nature
The more-than-human world is sentient, deserving of respect, rights, and reciprocity
Seven-Generation
Thinking
Decisions are made with responsibility to sustain future generations
Governing
for Peace
Governance actively pursues, promotes and practices conflict resolution
Law aligned
with Life
Laws are born from — and in service to — the flourishing of all life
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"Before the ideas of inalienable rights, liberty, and democracy were strung together in words,
they were strung together in beads made of shells in this Iroquois Confederacy Wampum Belt.
It represents 1,000 years of democratic principles that we Indians shared with our newer brothers and sisters (Including Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin who openly acknowledged in speeches and in writing that our contribution formed the basis of The Constitution).
We shared our belief that leaders should represent and serve the people. Which was a startling belief in a world of kings and queens.
We shared what we call, The Great Law, which is the natural law of human dignity that precedes and underlies all other laws.
Even, We The People began as an ancient Indian phrase.
And it's important to the pursuit of all our happiness that We The People now means, and continues to mean, We, All Of Us, Who Are Americans."
Problem
The story of Independence has become a story that separates Us from Them, in two crucial ways — driving the crises of democracy and climate we now face.
QUestion
How might we use the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence to commit to Interdependence, restoring our belonging to each other and the Earth as democracy’s foundation?
Response
Project Interdependence is bringing this paradigm shift — a positive vision of Us — to the public square.
A Story of Connection
Provide an alternative center of gravity for America's refounding moment in the face of divisive myths about independence
A Place to Stand
Fill the ideological vacuum with something people can stand for rather than against through the use of “declarations” as a social technology
A Pathway Forward
Create pathways to living in interdependence with original principles of life through communities of practice
Approach
Learn
Get Rooted
Surfacing the Indigenous Roots of American Democracy
Declare
Declare Interdependence
Envisioning the next America through the social technology of Declarations
Practice
Nourish Movements
Deepening our interdependence through communities of practice
Response
01 / Learn
Get Rooted
Most Americans, including progressive leaders, don’t know that the principles of ecological stewardship, equity, and justice they seek were offered at our founding by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The Great Law of Peace, which influenced our Constitution, remains one of the most sophisticated governance systems ever developed, operating continuously for over 1,000 years in alignment with all life.
Get Rooted reveals this history as the foundation available for America’s renewal. People deserve to know what was on offer and what remains key to meeting the conditions of the crises we currently face.
Why It Matters
This addresses the ideological vacuum by grounding progressive values in the deepest American truth. Instead of importing solutions, we reveal that advanced democracy aligned with ecological principles was always native to this land.
Alliance Building
Book Republishing
Multimedia Storytelling
Curriculum Design
Convenings & Conferences
Public Awareness Campaign
True
Foundations
Illuminate Indigenous influence on American democracy.
Seeds
of Wisdom
Provide time-tested models for governance aligned with life.
Healing
Divides
Acknowledge historical erasure to foster mutual allyship.
Impact
02 / Declare
Declare Interdependence
While people exhaust themselves fighting what they’re against, there’s a void where a unifying vision could be.
Declarations of Interdependence serve as future-facing flags that stake new ground, giving millions of people something concrete to rally around and organize from.
On July 4th, 2026, we will launch a national campaign inviting individuals, communities, and organizations to create Declarations of Interdependence—concrete visions and commitments to living in reciprocity with each other and the natural world. These individual declarations will be synthesized into an ever-evolving, live Universal Declaration that represents self-expressed agreements of millions of participants, not just experts or elites. This participatory process seeds both a new organizing paradigm for movements and practical pathways for communities to transform interdependence from principle into practice.
Why It Matters
Traditional declarations emphasize what we’re breaking away from; these declarations emphasize what we’re committing to. By addressing the “vision vacuum” with actionable commitments, we create the missing “yes” that movements need.
Declaration Homepage
Declaration Toolkit
Impact Campaign
Media & Influencer Activation
Synthesis Technology
Partnership Network
Impact
Unified
Vision
Make positive commitments vs. negative opposition.
Collective
Commitment
Unite fragmented efforts across political and ideological divides.
Movement
Coherence
Reframe America's 250th from individualism to interconnection.
03 / Practice
Nourish Movements
Growing from the emergent principles of interdependence established through Declarations, we will mobilize a nationwide network-of-networks comprised of diverse ecological, indigenous, and pro-democracy organizations as living communities-of-practice.
Through high-touch collaboration with core partners, compounded by self-serve resources for hundreds of participating organizations, the goal is cross-pollination between these groups via skilled facilitation, shared learnings, and ongoing feedback loops. This reduces competition, enhances cooperation, and fosters resilience in addressing the polycrisis at its roots—the myth of separation—while creating pathways toward the practical integration of interdependence as a social foundation for America’s next 250 years.
Why it Matters
Oppressive systems depend on our disconnection. Strengthening relational infrastructure—through trust, reciprocity, and shared accountability—works at the level of culture and structure, repairing the social fabric and redistributing power in ways traditional reform cannot.
Practice Toolkits & Trainings
Network-of-Networks
Coordination Platform
Quarterly Calls
Field-Building Research
Field-Building Research
Impact
Principles
in Practice
Move Declarations into daily action.
Cross—
Pollination
Facilitate collaboration across movements towards root solutions.
Stewarding
the Transition
Build coordination infrastructure for long-term systems change.
Timeline
2025
2026
Foundations
Aug - Dec
Partnerships, narrative strategy, book/tech development
Soft Launch
Jan-Feb
Strategic comms launch, Declaration beta, curriculum prep
Awarness Campaign
Mar - Jun
Book + multimedia launch, facilitator training, coalition coordination, public campaign
Nourish Movements
Jul — Dec
Building and resourcing Communities of Practice, narrative infrastructure
Interdependence Day
Jul 4
National launch of Declarations
Indigenous Elder Advisors
Chief Beverly Kiohawiton Cook
Former Mohawk Tribal Chief and nurse practitioner, championing mind-body medicine, trauma-informed care, and Indigenous community wellness.
José Barreiro
Taíno elder and Smithsonian Scholar Emeritus, former research director at the National Museum of the American Indian, novelist, essayist, and Indigenous sovereignty advocate.
Katsi Cook
Mohawk midwife and environmental health pioneer whose groundbreaking research links women’s health and ecology, advancing matriarchal leadership and Indigenous sovereignty.
Tom Kanatakeniate Cook
Mohawk historian and ceremonial leader who preserves Indigenous traditions while championing cultural pride and food sovereignty.
Loretta Afraid-of-Bear Cook
Lakota leader and Sun Dance pipe keeper, reviving ceremonies and rites of passage while advocating for heritage, spirituality, and all nations’ allyship.
Team
Amelia Rose Barlow
Impact strategist and systems weaver linking natural law and Indigenous wisdom with movements for ecological justice, rights of nature, and democratic renewal.
Elizabeth Stewart
Civic innovator and executive producer whose ventures—from Impact Hub LA to How to Citizen—blend business and social impact to build more participatory democracy.
Baratunde Thurston
Storyteller and producer exploring interdependence through our ties to nature (America Outdoors), technology (Life with Machines), and each other (How to Citizen).
The call
We’re not asking you to fund another campaign.
We’re asking you to help shift America’s story—from separation to interdependence—at the 250th anniversary of our founding.
America’s inclusive story
The narrative foundation for democracy
A bridge between people and planet
The moment is ripe. The coalition is ready. The wisdom is here.
What we need is you.
Thank you
