Notes from America

In this episode, Public Agenda president Will Friedman discusses why it is important to highlight the things on which Americans can agree, how to pave the way for a discussion that doesn’t feel loaded from the beginning, and why his organization started Hidden Common Ground, a project exploring where Americans agree or disagree on solutions for issues from economic opportunities and equity to immigration or law enforcement. This is part 2 of a 4 part series about division and common ground in the U.S. Guest: Will Friedman, president of the nonpartisan research and public engagement organization Public Agenda https://www.publicagenda.org/ Useful links: Hidden Common Ground’s first report deals explores how Americans think and feel about divisiveness. https://www.publicagenda.org/reports/divisiveness-and-collaboration-in-american-public-life-a-hidden-common-ground-report/ Over the year 2020, Hidden Common Ground published several reports on where Americans agree – and where there really is division – on a range of issues. https://www.publicagenda.org/programs-reports/the-hidden-common-ground-initiative/  

In this episode of Notes from America, social psychologist Dr. Samantha Moore-Berg will discuss what might cause division in the United States and beyond, how accepting division can lead to a breakdown in democracy, and what helps people find common ground. This is part 1 of a 4 part series about division and common ground in the U.S. Guest: Dr. Samantha Moore Berg - social psychologist and researcher at the Peace and Conflict Neuroscience Lab at the University of Pennsylvania Useful links: You’ll find links to Samantha Moore-Berg’s research about topics like metaperceptions or prejudice and discrimination interventions on her website: http://samanthamooreberg.com/ What does the divide between Republicans and Democrats look like? Beyond Conflict’s report “America’s Divided Mind” gives some (visual) clues: https://beyondconflictint.org/americas-divided-mind/ Samantha Moore-Berg, Boaz Hameiri, Emile Bruneau: The prime psychological suspects of toxic political polarization. http://samanthamooreberg.com/resources/2020.MooreBerg.ThePrimePsychologicalSuspectsofPolarization.pdf

Interview guest Dr. Carolyn Finney helps us explore the complicated relationship between land, race and belonging in the United States. She explains what representation means in national parks and other outdoor spaces, talks about "The Perils of Being Black in Public", which she recently wrote for the "Guardian", and how organizations as well as individuals could develop greater cultural competency. This is part 2 of a mini series about the Great American Outdoors. We recorded the interview in September. Guest:Dr. Carolyn Finney is a cultural geographer, author and storyteller who, among many other things, served on the U.S. National Parks Advisory Board for eight years. https://www.carolynfinney.com/ Useful links:"The Perils of Being Black in Public", published in the Guardian in June 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/03/being-black-public-spaces-outdoors-perils-christian-cooper Carolyn Finney's book "Black Faces, White Spaces" (2014) https://uncpress.org/book/9781469614489/black-faces-white-spaces/ And if you want to see Carolyn talk, here's a TED talk she gave in February 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i58ayzQf4wc

In this episode of Notes From America, Navajo hiking guide Angel Tadytin and I discuss her deep connection with the land of red sand and deep canyons. She explains why walking in national parks makes her both upset and grateful, what differs hiking with a women group from hiking with men, and what we all can do to help keep the most beautiful U.S. landscapes, well, beautiful. This is part 1 of a mini series about the Great American Outdoors. We recorded the interview in early September. Guest:Angel Tadytin, Navajo woman, hiking guide, social worker and founder of the Instagram group Adventurous Natives. https://www.instagram.com/adventurousnatives/ See photos from Angel’s latest hikes on her Instagram profile.  https://www.instagram.com/aatadytin/ She is also an ambassador for Women Who Hike. https://www.womenwhohike.com/ Useful links: If you want to learn more about how to do a land recognition (aka land acknowledgement), look at these tips based on a panel discussion hosted by the Native Governance Center and the Lower Phalen Creek Project in 2019: https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/

In this episode of Notes From America, voting rights expert Kat Calvin and I will discuss through how many hoops Americans have to jump in order to vote, what her organization Spread The Vote does, and we'll also examine the context and history of voter suppression to finally answer the question: Why is this happening? This is part 2 of a mini series about the upcoming U.S. election. We recorded the interview in late July. Guest:Kat Calvin, lawyer, voting rights expert and founder of Spread The Vote. https://www.spreadthevote.org/ Listen to more from Kat Calvin over at Vote - The Podcast, which she does with Vote.org's Andrea Hailey. https://vote-the-podcast.simplecast.com/ Useful linksInformation for the rules, requirements, and deadlines to vote in your state (from voter registration forms to polling station addresses) + links to your state's official election center website: www.vote.org  You will vote for more positions than the president's office, but who else will be on your ballot? Find out at Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup At Vote Smart you can look up the candidates' bios, donors, and positions on a range of issues you might care about:  https://justfacts.votesmart.org/ The ACLU’s How to Vote Guide answers many practical questions about the election, including what to do if you run into obstacles: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/voting-rights/

In this episode of Notes From America, Elaine Kamarck, a Brookings Institution expert on electoral politics, discusses her research on how to vote safely during a pandemic, what else might keep U.S. citizens from voting on November 3rd, and what you can do about that. This is part 1 of 2 of a mini series about the upcoming U.S. election. We recorded the interview in mid-July. Guest:Elaine Kamarck, expert on electoral politics and Director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution. Have a look at her report Voting by mail in a pandemic: A state-by-state scorecard: https://www.brookings.edu/research/voting-by-mail-in-a-pandemic-a-state-by-state-scorecard/  These are a few useful links to help you vote: The ACLU’s How to Vote Guide https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/voting-rights/ Vote.org for quick voter registration, info on deadlines, etc. www.vote.org  At Ballotpedia, you can look up who will be on your ballot https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup At Vote Smart you can look up a candidate’s bio, donors, and positions on a range of issues  https://justfacts.votesmart.org/ And, as promised, here's a picture of the very first oddly shaped election district - and the story behind the original Gerrymander https://www.gilderlehrman.org/news/elbridge-gerry-and-original-gerrymander