How Does a Country Inspire Meaningful Patriotism?

The last time we discussed patriotism Barak Obama was running for his first term as President in 2008.  This summer has presented many opportunities for Americans to express their love of country with July 4th celebrations, the Olympics in Rio, a heated campaign, the fifteenth anniversary of 911, as well as ongoing protests by many who want to make America better.  The September discussion will invite us to explore how our personal ideas of patriotism have evolved.  What does leadership look like to sustain a civil society?  To make any country “great”?  Does a deep dive into history help or hurt?  How are we dealing with our cherished delusions?  As an exercise, you are invited to discover where the following words come from:

“No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave”

 

The connecting theme for Second Tuesday Race Forum discussions this season will be “Radical Inclusion.”  We often talk about creating a more inclusive society.  The term “radical” is used to refer to going to the root or source; to seek fundamental changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions.  We hope to inspire profoundly new ways to think about inclusion.  Our topics will look at a number of ways racism intersects with numerous aspects of our culture.

• Race and Class and Poor Whites
• Race and Women’s Suffrage
• Racism and Native Americans
• Blacks and Jews and Palestine
• Race and LGTBQ rights

To give you a head start on preparing for the October discussion, please read the attached Epilogue excerpt from the recently published book White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, by Nancy Isenberg.