By Josephine Van Houten Since the 1780’s, America’s leaders have referred to the country as a ‘melting pot’ of different cultures, religions, and backgrounds. In a country as large as the United States, a shared identity is essential for a sense of unity, however, we should not ignore the religious and ethnic differences that … Continue reading Why We Shouldn’t Feed the Melting Pot
*This post is part of our series analyzing the discourse on diversity in the election and election coverage. By Lauren Horn Griffin The frequency of the “I have black/Latino friends” argument and its continued use by politicians and pundits reveal a need to engage in a more sophisticated discussion of diversity, discrimination, and difference. Since the Iowa caucuses … Continue reading Iowa Caucus Coverage and the Friend Card
The Syrian refugee crisis and recent terrorist attacks have pushed the American public to delve into civic questions of who 'we' are and where we draw lines of inclusion and exclusion in our society. We've asked Meghan Horner, a longtime professional working in refugee resettlement and non-profit/NGO development, to write this guest post offering a perspective on … Continue reading The Work of Tolerance and Inclusion in a Period of Extremism
By Tiffany Puett First published at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tiffany-puett/texas-and-the-politics-of-exclusion_b_8594446.html Last Friday night, several armed terrorists coordinated attacks around the city of Paris that left 129 people dead. The terrorist group ISIS, or Daesh, has claimed responsibility. The day before the Paris attacks, suicide bombers with ISIS affiliation killed 43 people and wounded 239 more in Beirut. The attacks … Continue reading Texas and the Politics of Exclusion
