2025 Wrapped: Bridging the gap between Washington and our communities

Friends, as the holiday season is in full churn and we look to 2026, a quick note of thanks for your support.

To recap the past 5 months:

The North Star Policy Initiative (NSPI) held its launch event this summer at Emgage HQ in Washington, D.C.

NSPI immediately hit the road to meet with communities and organize substantive policy dialogues.

We started in the birthplace of our democracy in Philadelphia, working with Emgage Pennsylvania to host leaders in the state legislature and city council along with Pennsylvania Secretary of Policy and Planning Akbar Hossain, Governor Josh Shapiro’s chief policy officer.

We’ve convened a number of private conversations with experts and community voices across the country about the value that a civic policy forum like NSPI can provide during this time. We’ve learned about finding a nexus between policy convening and the civic organizing work that Emgage— which is turning 20 in 2026— does so well.

Just a few weeks ago, we were honored to host U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland for a fireside chat on national priorities as well as hear from Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s Secretary of Service and Civic Innovation Paul Monteiro

These conversations have covered everything from data centers, AI, and public health to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. We confirmed two hypotheses:

1. There is a credibility gap between policymakers in Washington, D.C. and communities beyond the Beltway. Projects like NSPI are critical for bridging that gap by facilitating dialogue and engagement.

2. Muslim Americans and communities across the United States are eager to have substantive policy conversations on issues impacting the American people— and have expertise to bear on some of the biggest challenges facing our country.

We’re looking to Michigan in Q1, where, in partnership with Emgage Michigan, we’ll convene grassroots and national policy leaders at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. We’ll head to the Bay Area in Q2 for an event featuring leading national voices in technology policy.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. We see the polarization and challenges ahead, but we believe in the power of dialogue and civil society. I am eager to continue doing the work of a nation with you all.

Happy holidays,

Adham