A Recipe for Saving Democracy: Open Classroom Returns

On the evening of October 27, 2026, the Policy School and the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy relaunched the Open Classroom series with a screening of Dukakis: Recipe for Democracy. The documentary looks at the life and public service of former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis. Host Alicia Modestino, director of the Dukakis Center, framed the evening around the coming midterm election, falling public trust in government and the role public servants can play in renewing it. She challenged the audience to leave with “something to do, whether it’s big or small,” from serving at a polling place to running for the select board.

Two speakers shared personal reflections before the screening. Dan Urman, a professor in the School of Public Policy and the School of Law, met Dukakis as his student at UCLA and later worked alongside him at five Democratic National Conventions. He told the story of Dukakis offering up his own convention seats so a young staffer could be in the room, calling him “someone who believed the point of having a place at the table is to make room for others.”

Paula Sampson, assistant director of education at the Massachusetts Historical Society, described the study guide her organization helped develop so teachers can use the film in classrooms. She recalled decades of students reaching out to Dukakis for National History Day projects: “He never once refused a National History Day student or group an interview, never once.”

The film follows Dukakis at home in Brookline making his mother’s turkey soup, riding the T, teaching at Northeastern, and campaigning for the North-South Rail Link well into his 80s. It also covers his former students’ early careers in public service. In one of its defining lines, Dukakis says, “My recipe for democracy is active participation in the process.”

“My recipe for democracy,” says Gov. Michael Dukakis, “is active participation in the process.”

A panel discussion followed. Hanna Switlekowski, a former student of Dukakis who now serves on the Sharon Select Board and as deputy director of the MBTA Advisory Board, left early to make her own board meeting. She described sitting at Dukakis’s kitchen table as a young professional deciding whether to run for office. Her advice to others was simple: “If you have an idea, you want to get involved in your town or city, go for it. Like, why not?”

Steven Pedigo, new to the School of Public Policy in the Fall 2026, talked about helping cities across the country engage residents. He said public service has grown harder as national divisions seep into local politics: “It’s really hard, but it’s really rewarding work as well.”

The filmmakers explained how the project started. Jeff Schmidt met Dukakis about 20 years earlier on a video shoot and remembered “just how down-to-earth and how just curious he was about things.” Erin Trahan said the 2016 election left her worried that young people wouldn’t know leaders like Dukakis had existed: “I just felt like this is the kind of person that we need to look at again and learn from.”

Dominic Copeland, a Boston Public Schools educator and the first Black city councilor in Beverly, spoke about awakening students to their own civic power. He warned against entering politics for power rather than service, saying, “There can be no democracy without the will and the say of the people.”

Fifteen-year-old Shin Yu, the youngest panelist, said the 2024 election shaped her desire to get involved. As an eighth grader at the time, she said, it felt like “democracy was, like, a little bit falling apart.”

The audience portion brought two more voices. Barry Bluestone, founding dean of the Policy School and founding director of the Dukakis Center, congratulated the filmmakers and recalled running the original Open Classroom with Dukakis for more than 3,000 attendees. Juan Gallego, a former student of Dukakis featured prominently in the film and now in the Healey-Driscoll administration, urged attendees to vote and to stay engaged despite growing polarization: “There aren’t that many political servants like Michael Dukakis, that is for sure, but we can all aspire to be like him.”

Prof. Ted Landsmark gave the final remarks. Dukakis had been his boss when he first came to Boston as a young lawyer, training a cohort that included Deval Patrick and Bill Weld. Landsmark recalled lessons in humility, like shopping for suits at Filene’s Basement, and said, “He was a brilliant teacher because he taught us values.” With the election a week away, he described the moment as pivotal for resisting authoritarianism. He sent attendees off to the reception with a charge to “make good trouble.”