Questions of Civic Proportions: Do we understand the work of perfecting the American union?

by Shellee O'Brien | Newsletter

Questions of Civic Proportions Newsletter July 26, 2020 My Fellow Citizens, The country mourns the loss of a hero this weekend. A man whose work in the real world achieved the legendary status of becoming a series of bestselling comic books. The heroes in comic books...

Questions of Civic Proportions: Is it different this time?

by Shellee O'Brien | Newsletter

Questions of Civic Proportions Newsletter July 12, 2020 My Fellow Citizens, Spray cans left at the bottom of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia invited everyone to leave their mark. People there transformed the space around the monument into a community...

Questions of Civic Proportions: Are we willing to see this through?

by Shellee O'Brien | Newsletter

Questions of Civic Proportions Newsletter June 28, 2020 My Fellow Citizens, Aimee Stephens answered so many questions in the last seven years of her life. In one of many interviews, she shared the first questions she remembers fielding—are you willing to see this...

Questions of Civic Proportions: What do the books on your shelves tell you about who we are?

by Shellee O'Brien | Newsletter

Questions of Civic Proportions Newsletter June 14, 2020 My Fellow Citizens, The data is in: we’re buying the books. You might have even seen the screenshot circulating as a sign of hope. The top non-fiction titles on the New York Times Bestseller list are all...

Questions of Civic Proportions: What Can We Make of a World on Fire?

by Shellee O'Brien | Newsletter

Questions of Civic Proportions Newsletter May 31, 2020 My Fellow Citizens, There’s one phrase that keeps shouting at me over all the images of the protests. The phrase comes from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, Between the World and Me (2015). Reflecting on his...

Questions of Civic Proportions: What can we do to fight all the baloney?

by Shellee O'Brien | Newsletter

Questions of Civic Proportions Newsletter May 17, 2020 My Fellow Citizens, Gullibility kills. That’s the last line of Carl Sagan’s essay, “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection.” When it comes to baloney, we’re at Code Red. The list of...