Join us as we innovate American democracy right here in our hometown. Your tax-deductible donation of $76 or more makes you a member, gets you some perks, and supports free events across our community all year.
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Can people debate issues without anger and division? The five clergy who make up Tallahassee’s “God Squad” say it’s possible because of the friendship and faith at the core of their long-running civic experiment.
Throughout those battles, antidotes to our civic poisons have always run through the American bloodstream too. Americans have continually found ways to neutralize their discord and catalyze diversity, turning them into sources of strength.
Early legislators came to work “in the spirit of avowed misunderstanding, without the smallest wish to agree.” Jefferson’s solution? He invited diverse lawmakers to dinner and was widely credited with saving democracy. Maybe we can too?
This entire year The Village Square will look for, talk about – and honor – people who stand up and make things happen where we live right here in Tallahassee. Nominate a local patriot you know — we’ll honor their work and if we choose your nominee, you get two tickets to dinner April 28.
In 1798 James Madison wrote of the press: “To the press alone, checkered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression.” In 2020, if Madison was correct then reason and humanity could be in for an even rougher ride.
In divided times like ours and through history, brave and unlikely friendships have endured, inspired and redeemed. You’ll get to meet some pairs of friends who not only manage their disagreements, they embrace them.
A Divided Union delves into ten pressing political challenges that our two favorite former US Representatives Patrick Murphy (D) and David Jolly (R) have identified over their multiple terms in Congress and that continue to plague the American electorate today.
The Reunited States looks unflinchingly at the deepest divisions that haunt today’s America — through the eyes of unsung heroes working to bridge these differences — and imagines a day when we can embrace our differences and really hear and see each other. We’ll be joined by the author who inspired the film, the filmmaker and three heroes.
