“In the background of the American story behind the presidents and wars, recessions and boom times, scientific breakthroughs and social movements—are clubs.” —from the film “Join or Die” “
The accelerating political division in America has many of us seeing the world in “us vs. them” terms — and it’s left most of us exhausted. But as the political chattering class awaits the next political smackdown from one side or the other, there’s another America fighting to rise—the ones in hometowns like this one, between neighbors who can see and know each other, who want to heal. We see what healing looks like every day here in Tallahassee—and we think it’s a model for the rest of America. So this year at The Square we’re going to double down. It’s going to be a year all about joining.
We kicked off this “Join or Die” season with a screening of the film “Join or Die” at The Challenger Center IMAX theatre. The film is about the power of joining — in our lives, for our health and even for the future of our country. We chose to launch the film in observance of the 60th anniversary of Dr. King’s March on Washington, because we think that’s all about joining too.
On Thursday, October 5th at 7 pm the living legend Dr. Robert D. Putnam will join us digitally (he’s the guy the movie’s all about). If you didn’t have an opportunity to join us at The Challenger Center, fear not. Register to attend this event and you’ll get a screening link for the film to watch it at home. (You’re going to be very glad you did.)
On Tuesday, October 17th at 7 pm, the author of Collective Illusions, Todd Rose, will join us for Dinner at the Square. It’s all about how we humans have way more in common than we think and we really ought to hang out more.
And on Tuesday, March 5th at 7pm, we’ll be joined at our spring Dinner at the Square by Seth Kaplan of Johns Hopkins University to discuss “Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society One Zip Code at a Time.”
And ALL YEAR LONG we’ll be forming groups about all sorts of things.
**Click here to stay in the loop on new groups we’ll be adding.
Join us as embark on a journey to honor and celebrate the rich tapestry of Black and Brown history that has woven its way through the heart of Leon County.
With wisdom and expertise gained in the generational trauma of the the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Resetting the Table has turned their attention to healing across America's deepening divide.
Here's a vast understatement of the situation: The culture wars have Officially Hit Our Schools. When you clear away the noise, at the core of the struggle is this: what should our schools teach our children—and who decides?
Invented by a Jewish rabbi, now there's Christian speed dating, graduate student speed dating, even speed dating for pet adoption and – for the truly noncommittal – online speed dating.
In an era of fraught political tension, civility—a respect for the dignity of others—is the key to bridging the divide.
Our annual town hall pairs commissioners from the City of Tallahassee and Leon County to have a constructive (and neighborly) discussion about where we are, where we're going and what the challenges ahead might be.
Join us as we welcome Seth Kaplan, author of "Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society One Zip Code at a Time" for an urgent exploration of why American society is in trouble, and how to fix it, starting with the places we call home.
Our culture wars have blinded us to the deepest underpinnings of pluralism, where legitimately held beliefs are respected, even when they clash with our own. So how’s a person to live free in a culture that's struggling?
[Babel] "is about the shattering of all that had seemed solid, the scattering of people who had been a community...not only between red and blue, but within the left and within the right, as well as within universities, companies...and even families."
In the background of the American story — behind the presidents, the wars, the scientific breakthroughs and social movements — are clubs. But what happens when a country full of joiners just stops joining?
Over Zero's Founder Rachel Brown offers her experience preventing violence in global hotspots to the challenge of rising identity-based hatred—and our crisis of belonging—in the United States.
With our culture wars at a full rolling boil, apparently all it takes to send our enmity over the edge is…a good old-fashioned country song?? We'll be talking Jason Aldean, Oliver Anthony. And we'll throw in some Dolly Parton for good measure.
Our current divisions—one American from another—are deep and wide. But what if we are profoundly, completely and tragically wrong about each other? What if it's our own mistaken assumptions about the true beliefs of people on our "side" that is driving the escalating tensions? We'd best figure that out. Fast.
The Village Square is delighted to bring you a packed schedule of programs throughout the year. Scroll down to find your favorites, click on the links to learn more, and register today.
As bad manners and ill-tempers replace conversations of substance, sometimes free speech seems to have simply gone to seed. Meanwhile, we seem to be in a societal-wide spitting match about just who is the most tediously offended.
In "Created Equal + Breathing Free," we'll examine the straining of the central - and sometimes competing - principles of equality and freedom. Does your freedom threaten my equality? And does my equality limit your freedom?
In a live audience taping of The Thomas Jefferson Hour, we looked through the eyes of the author of the Declaration of Independence and marked our progress toward a more perfect union.
