Gatherings

To me, the United States of America is the promise of unity, of flourishing diversity and of a harmonizing beauty that brings the world together. But even as we become more diverse, we seem to collect within silos that homogenize us and divide our collective Identity. Many don't venture far past their silos, and as they ferment within those silos, they excrete a distrust of everyone outside their groups. It is such a tragedy because the vision and the potential of the US has such transformative depth.

One way to realign the US is to slowly create channels that connect all of these silos to form a true and vast network. People shouldn't forget their root cultures, but they should actively make an effort to meet and mix with other groups and form collaborations and ideas. These gatherings are meant to do this at a local level.

Gathering 1: July 20,2019

The objectives of this Gathering:

1. To gather an eclectic and diverse group of people and motivate deliberate conversation between them
2. To engage in a conversation that goes beyond small talk
3. To experience that conversation as an artform, where a conversation exists not only as a way to communicate an idea but also as something to be cherished, enjoyed and as something that may lead to creativity.
4. To explore the idea of American Identity that can help lesson plan for a course that I am coteaching at WHS.

Notes:

• People:
  • We had a total of 11 people. Two really awesome people joined us after this picture. The group consisted of people from their mid-20s to their mid50s. Together, we represented the following groups: Indian, Jewish, Eastern European, Lithuanian, Scottish-Irish, French-Canadian, Black American, Nigerian, and Bulgarian.
• Potential Collaborations
  • Multicultural musical event
  • Nature walk with a focus on field biology to combat isolation and connect identity to the local environment.
• Discussion (there were lots of deep discussions, unfortunately I didn't record most of them and right now I only have time to give a rough overview)
  • Topic: What did people wish they learned about American Identity in high school (so that I can apply in the course at WHS that I will be co-teaching)
    • How the history we are taught in schools is biased and doesn't focus on the journey of immigrants and marginalized people and on the story of how immigrants helped build the country.
    • The meaning of diaspora and its complexities in the US.
    • How the US is a melting pot...but then how it is not.
    • How to make a person feel part of the community even if they look very different.
    • How news can shape perception of identity and how the internet has fundamentally changed that.
    • How identity is multidimensional and race and culture are just one component (eg wealth gap, urban vs rural).
    • How the US can be a way for people to escape the burden of their given identity in another country.
    • How to communicate: Trust, Intent, Named Impact
  • Topic: General Discussion
    • People felt alienated because of religion (eg being Jewish in a cathloic neighborhood or being atheist).
    • Context can vastly change a person's identity.
    • Sometimes the public sees you as the complete representative of your culture and that adds stress and can constrain behavior.