As attention turned to Philadelphia for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Lenape leaders, local organizers, and Philly neighbors came together united around a new Declaration. The Declaration of Interdependence is a co-created vision and collective commitment to building a future where 250 years from now our descendants live together in thriving communities where we can depend on each other!
Declaration of Interdependence Signing Book
Community gathers for the closing ceremony at the first Declaration Signing
Declaration Signing organizers celebrate!
Creating the Declaration
The Process
The Declaration of Interdependence builds on years of relationship building, solidarity, and advocacy and weaves in the dreams of diverse people across the region. The process began with indigenous Lenape leaders and local organizers working together to co-create a first draft. A diverse group of folks representing different identities, neighborhoods, and perspectives across Philadelphia reviewed the draft and shared feedback, concerns, and additional visions. Their voices were woven to create the current version of the Declaration of Interdependence.
Core Values
Indigenous voices are foundational
Diverse perspectives are essential
Interdependence includes all our relations within the ecosystem (plants, animals, etc.)
Ceremonial Signing and Community Celebration
The Community Celebration for the first Signing of the Declaration occurred on August 15th, 2026 and brought together Philadelphians across city to activate the power we have to build a better future together!
Community members signed the Declaration and learned how to protect against threats facing the local ecosystem.
Community members reading the Declaration of Interdependence
Local artists made the Signing Celebration even more special by leading beautiful community offerings!
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An immersive Lenape storytelling circle held by Krista Nelson
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Signers added dreams and commitments towards an interdependent future to the Seeding Change Altar, a community trash-art piece.
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Community art build hosted by Gardens of the Future
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Local trash being transformed into native wildflower art to add to the Altar
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Hannah Mack leading trash art workshop turning Philly waste into wildflower art!
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Marshall Kavanaugh inviting Declaration Signers to share their dreams through poetry.
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Signers typewrite their visions for the future onto seed paper that will grow wildflowers across the city.
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Krista Nelson opening the ceremony with an original Lenape prayer
The Declaration is a Living Invitation!
The Signing Event was just the beginning! Most important were the connections made with each other. A growing number of Philadelphians are signing the Declaration of Interdependence and making commitments of body and spirit to act on the values in the Declaration throughout their lives. We look forward to what comes next and it will be shaped by each of us!
“Today We Build the Future Together” is a poem on the first page of the Declaration Signing Book created by jendaiya
Declaration Posters gifted for Signers to bring the spirit home. Created by Hannah Mack
Interdependence is a culture and a way of being together. Philly’s Declaration of Interdependence joins communities and movements past, present, and ongoing that nurture interdependence worldwide.
American Indigenous Democracy: A Call to Interdependence
Click here to learn more about how democracy and interdependence are indigenous to the United States.
Listen to the Declaration of Interdependence written for the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (above). Or click to read.
Interdependence Everyday
You can follow @interdependence.everyday on Instagram to explore how everyday people are practicing interdependence worldwide!
Ubuntu Commons Initiative
Philly’s Declaration of Interdependence Signing was supported through seed funding from the Ubuntu Commons Initiative. Ubuntu is an ancient African word often translated as “I am Because You/We Are”. Ubuntu Commons Initiative aims to grow a culture of interdependence nationwide that heals our communities and addresses the climate crisis. Click to learn more.
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The process of co-creating the Declaration of Interdependence has been stewarded by a coalition made up of Lenape leaders, local organizers and artists, and Philly neighbors. The goal is not to create an organization, it is to activate a way of being together. Everyone who supported the co-creation process represented themselves as individuals and offered their personal skills, talents, capacity, and resources to support launching Declaration of Interdependence.
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Anyone can host a signing of the Declaration of Interdependence in their community. Anyone can commit to being a signer of the Declaration of Interdependence regardless of if they have signed the original signing book.
If you want to host a Declaration Signing featuring the original signing book and that connects directly with the original lineage please email interdependentphilly@gmail.com with more information.
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No one! The Declaration has been co-created and is not owned by any individual or organization. Anyone can host a signing event, sign the Declaration, and share about it with their community!
The Declaration challenges conventional and colonial views on ownership. While the original creation process has been stewarded by many people who have ongoing connections and visions, the spirit of the Declaration is welcoming, inclusive, and invites everyone who resonates to be a part of a living legacy growing interdependence wherever you are.
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Gardens of the Future, the arts and organizing collective that hosted the community art build at the Declaration Signing has offered that their newsletter can be a platform for Declaration Signers to be informed about upcoming values aligned events, offerings, and invitations to connect. You can subscribe to the newsletter by clicking this sentence.
Beyond this, anyone is welcome to initiate gatherings and extend invitations to connect with one another using their own preferred methods.
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Click this sentence to learn more about Krista Nelson—Lenape elder, flutist, and storyteller.
Click this sentence to learn more about Hannah Mack— local artist and creative.
Click this sentence to learn more about Gardens of the Future.
Click this sentence to learn more about Dream Poet Marshall James Kavanaugh.
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We hope this process inspires other communities to create their own shared visions, agreements, and commitments. If you would like to learn from this process and grow something similar where you are, please email interdependentphilly@gmail.com
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That’s up to all of us! The original caretakers of the creation process hope that the Declaration will continue to evolve to reflect the needs and dreams of our communities.
We would love to see signing events growing across the city and signers nurturing interdependence everyday in their lives.
We hope to grow an annual gathering to bring everyone together and continue to celebrate the Declaration of Interdependence and how we are growing interdependence across the city. If you have skills, offerings, music, art, song, dance, or other ways you’d like to contribute to future celebratory gatherings please reach out to interdependentphilly@gmail.com so that ongoing visioning can reflect an interdependent process!
The Seeding Change Community Dream Altar from the art build will be featured at a free public exhibition during Summer 2027. Join the newsletter by clicking this sentence to learn more.
