I’m trying to make a positive difference in American political life by investigating whether and how it’s possible to draw some Trump voters toward the political center. In November 2020, about 48% of American voters voted for Trump. Voting for Trump is a proxy measure for rightwing feelings and beliefs. Many of these beliefs are extreme. None contribute to the American Dream of fairness, equity, opportunity, equality, and compassion, or the Good Society. Do we want to live in a permanently ideologically divided country, with the risk of civil war?
Continue reading How I’m Trying to Make a Positive Difference – by Marc Brenman
Category Archives: Make a Difference
Projects that are making a difference, improving lives, and building communities.
How Will You Toast The 2020s? – by Martin Kimeldorf
Cocktail party discussions in the rambunctious boom years of the 1960s often ended in dark pronouncements for the next century. Upward trending population growth graphs collided with downward bar charts displaying resource depletion. A few brave souls uttered dark prophecies for the 2020s. They whispered about a world landscape filled with economic and environmental collapse. They claimed this would create a breeding ground for pandemics that would challenge our very survival.
America loves to terrorize and confine itself with a bipolar view of the world. The Ozzie-and-Harriet voices in our heads droned on with happy-talk. In George Jetson cartoons, we imagined escaping traffic gridlock in our flying cars. At the same time a Civil Defense doomsday voice commanded us to “duck and cover” beneath atomic mushroom clouds. Eventually Twilight Zone voices questioned these comedic survival tactics.
Continue reading How Will You Toast The 2020s? – by Martin Kimeldorf
Black-Jewish Dialogue April 2021
COMMUNITY ADVOCACY
Candy Johnson: Before becoming President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga in January of 2021, she served as a senior advisor to Chattanooga Mayor Berke. She led community-focused initiatives to create sustainable partnerships and external investments to advance the administration’s economic, racial and social equity agenda with the goal of improving community quality of life. Johnson also led the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Alliance in partnership with Bloomberg Associates and co-created the Styles L. Hutchins Black College Student Fellowship. A native of Clarksville, Tennessee, Johnson was the youngest member ever elected to public office for the Clarksville City Council.
Michael Dzik: Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga since 2001. Much of Michael’s work focuses on community relations, bringing together people of all faiths, cultures and backgrounds to find common ground and understanding while building strong connections and friendships. Through programs such as the Jewish Film Series, exhibits, speakers, and multi-faith panels, the Jewish Federation works to connect all of our Chattanooga community.
CLICK for APRIL BLACK-JEWISH DIALOGUE
CLICK for Urban League Racial Equity Workshops
CLICK for “Why Black-Jewish Dialogue Now” & Links to previous dialogue sessions
Dialogue Partners:
American Diversity Report, Chattanooga News Chronicle, Mizpah Congregation, Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, C.U.R.B. – Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda.
Voices of Asian American Women – by Terry Howard
Reports are that there are over 23 million Asian Americans living in the United States. Other reports are that over the past year, there are at least 4000 reports of various forms of harassment, including assaults, directed against Asian Americans in the United States. And tragically, during recent shootings in Georgia, eight lives were snuffed out, among them six Asian women. These are the facts.
So I begin this by introducing you to incredible Asian American women – Wei Wei Jeang and Lisa Ong – long-time friends of mine during the years I lived in Texas. Not only did I want to check in on the well-being of Wei Wei and Lisa, both outspoken and strong advocates of equality and fairness, I wanted to get their thoughts on what’s been happening to Asian Americans over recent years. I’ll begin with a little bit about their backgrounds.
Continue reading Voices of Asian American Women – by Terry Howard
My Salute to Women Overcoming Challenges – by Soumaya Khalifa
Resilience, Determination, Support and Hard Work
This Women’s History Month I am thankful for the many women who paved the way for me. These amazing women include my mother, sister, daughter, mentors, friends, colleagues, managers and too many others to list. With these women as guides and companions, my path has been smooth yet challenging, steady yet adventurous. For all of those women, I am deeply grateful.
I know a beautiful five year-old named Samira. At birth, she was diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation that doctors thought would keep her from seeing, speaking, walking, running and living her life like any typical child. Of course, her family was devastated: they wanted only the best for their newborn daughter. Samira’s mother, however, immediately jumped into action. She sought doctors who specialized in Samira’s condition and found the physical, occupational, speech and other therapies that she needed to thrive. Samira’s mom fought the doctors, therapists and insurance companies to make sure her daughter received the best treatments and support.
Continue reading My Salute to Women Overcoming Challenges – by Soumaya Khalifa
The DEI Future: Old, New and Maybe – by Deborah Levine
A Diversity Futurist’s Perspective
In my more than half a century dealing with diversity, I have seen multiple changes in the field of training, coaching, and consulting. COVID presents an unprecedented mountain of changes in the DEI field that merit an overview of the past, present and future. As much as I appreciate some of you giving me the title of Diversity Futurist, Diva, Matriarch and Fairy Godmother, I’m well aware of the many experts reading the American Diversity Report and welcome your comments on the future of diversity.
Continue reading The DEI Future: Old, New and Maybe – by Deborah Levine
Maybe Some Silver Linings – by Gay Morgan Moore
The world will long remember the past year! We were thrust into circumstances that will forever change us individually and globally. We know the results – over 530,000 dead in the United States alone, millions sickened, an economy in free fall struggling to recover, a severely challenged health care system, new medicines, new disease conditions, and trillions of dollars in government spending attempting to ameliorate the effects of this global pandemic. The list of negative consequences goes on. But are there some “silver linings?” Is there some good coming from this daunting and often frightening global challenge?
Continue reading Maybe Some Silver Linings – by Gay Morgan Moore
Black-Jewish Dialogue at Harvard – March 2021
March 2021 Black-Jewish Dialogue
Women’s History Month
March 2021 Black-Jewish DialogueWomen creating change as Harvard freshmen
in the 1960s and today.
in the 1960s and today.
Dianne Irvine Fleet: Former chief legal officer/ U. Of Louisiana system. Former Supervisory Attorney/US Dept. of Ed. Office for Civil Rights. Former Sr. Attorney/Harvard U.
Deborah J. Levine: Award-winning author. Founder/American Diversity Report. Former American Jewish Committee Executive/Chicago. Former Jewish Federation Executive: Rockford, Tulsa. Chattanooga.
Host: Rabbi Craig Lewis
The Jewish Federation, Mizpah Congregation and the American Diversity Report co-sponsor these monthly dialogs.
CLICK for MARCH HARVARD DIALOGUE
Dialogue Partners:
American Diversity Report, Chattanooga News Chronicle, Mizpah Congregation, Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, C.U.R.B. – Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda.
CLICK FOR BLACK-JEWISH DIALOGUES AND PODCASTS
Black-Jewish Dialogue: February 2021
HISTORY, ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS
The monthly Black-Jewish Dialogues began in Chattanooga virtually in July 2020 and quickly spread across the USA and internationally. As our communities progress in understanding each other, we explore new topics each month. History is frequently an underlying theme.
Many thanks to our February Presenters:
John Edwards: Chattanooga historian working with the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and President of The Chattanooga News Chronicle.
Dr. Dana Herman: Managing Editor and Director of Research & Collections of the American Jewish Archives.
CLICK to hear the February Black-Jewish Dialogue
CLICK for background information and links to earlier dialogues
Dialogue Partners:
American Diversity Report, Chattanooga News Chronicle, Mizpah Congregation, Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, C.U.R.B. – Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda.
Diversity and Speech Part 18: Hate Speech – by Carlos E. Cortés
Hate speech may be the thorniest point of contention between diversity advocates and free speech absolutists. Of course most people oppose hate and detest hate speech. But what should we do about it? That’s where disagreements begin.
Let’s look at hate speech from four perspectives. Legal: what does the U.S. Constitution say about hate speech? Behavioral: is hate speech merely speech? Aspirational: ideally, what would we want when it comes to hate speech? Operational: how might government hate speech restraints work in practice?
Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 18: Hate Speech – by Carlos E. Cortés