What's Past Is Prologue
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California Council for the Humanities network summer 2 011 Featured in this issue 1 6-7 10 12 What’s Past is Prologue: Docu- Spotlight on Renee Tajima- Spotlight on Tim Council Awards mentary Connects Tom Bradley’s Peña: Grant Awardee Wins Carpenter: Grant Grants to 20 Story Legacy with Obama’s Election Guggenheim Awardee Wins Projects Prestigious As a New Democracy Emerges, Council Awards Grants to Leadership Award an Established One is Considered 18 Documentary Projects Photos of Tom Bradley, former LA mayor, courtesy of Lyn Goldfarb and Alison Sotomayor. WHAT’S PAST IS PROLOGUE: CCH-SUPPORTED DOCUMENTARY CONNECTS TOM BRADLEY’S LEGACY WITH BARACK OBAMA’S ELECTION FORMER LA MAYOR BUILT COALITIONS, BROKE RECORDS, AND BRIDGED RACIAL DIVIDE On November 4, 2008, Barack tive campaign—dependent on ing elected as the first African- nia Council for the Humanities Obama was elected 44th presi- grassroots support, dedicated American mayor of a major and the National Endowment dent of the United States. It volunteers, collaboration, and US city with a white majority for the Humanities, Lyn Gold- was an undeniably historic, coalitions—and became our and went on to serve an un- farb and Alison Sotomayor are vividly symbolic moment. Vot- first African-American presi- precedented twenty years in currently at work on a docu- ers turned out to the polls in dent. office. Few know the story of mentary film called Bridging record numbers, in some cases the lifelong record breaker, the Divide: Tom Bradley and lining up before daybreak and- Before Obama, there was Tom trendsetting coalition builder, the Politics of Race. In 2009, waiting for hours. In the midst Bradley. and former Los Angeles mayor. the Council awarded $60,000 of an economic collapse, the Soon, many more will. to the project. This year, the first-term senator ran an ardu- Thirty-five years earlier, Tom ous yet energetic and innova- Bradley made history by be- With the support of the Califor- continued on page 4 AS A NEW DEMOCRACY EMERGES, AN ESTABLISHED ONE IS CONSIDERED KICKOFF TO NEW COUNCIL INITIATIVE SPARKS PUBLIC CONVERSATION The panelists were speaking tor Scott Shafer of The Califor- At the Council’s forum on party” style discussion between animatedly, deep in conversa- nia Report/KQED scanned the Democracy and the Culture of renowned historian Joyce tion, enjoying themselves. The audience for raised hands. He Civic Conversation this spring, Appleby, political communica- crowd murmured, laughed. checked the monitor as new Shafer deftly moderated an tions expert/scholar Kathleen Heads moved in confirmation questions and comments, sub- opening session that set the Hall Jamieson, journalist and or disagreement, tilted to one mitted online, flew across the tone for the day—a fluid, in- side in consideration. Modera- digital transom. tense, but entertaining “dinner continued on page 2 www.calhum.org MAKINGQUIET By Ralph Lewin, President and CEO My urge to check my phone—that ever- tional reactions of pundits or the “man on the street” rather than present, flashing, buzzing weight in my considered, informed opinion or insight. Perhaps I am complicit. pocket—has reached the level of addic- It’s easy to consume junk food for thought, even when we would tion. The reasons are admirable. I want prefer something rich, complex, and nourishing. to read the latest news about the world. All the time. When I’m having dinner All this combines with pressing personal concerns, the rush of get- with friends, in conversation with col- ting from place to place, and the buzz of digital notifications and leagues, when I wake up—the urge is interruptions to create a life lived hurriedly in a noisy world—one in there. It’s a worthy habit, but one worthy which moments for reflection are scarce, we are hungry to learn all of breaking. the details but reticent to step back and consider what they mean, and many are talking but few are listening. We are in a time of great stress and upheaval. Tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural disasters It is in this world that I feel the need to make quiet in my life. I are changing our lives and landscapes; explosive violence, wars, was reminded of this a few weeks ago when I traveled to a part of protests, and economic crises beat out a rhythm that’s difficult California with no cell or internet coverage. For days, I hiked in hills to ignore. In Egypt, the people ousted a leader who had been in uninterrupted. I read great books—Lost City Radio by Daniel Alar- power for thirty years. Re-ignited by this revolution, civil unrest in cón and A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit—and thought Libya has resulted in an uprising against Qaddafi, who has ruled about the meaning of my work, of our work together. I saw a Cali- since 1969. It’s not all bad news. Most of it is important news. fornia Condor soaring overhead and thought about the fact that, There’s just so much of it. in 1987, there were just 22 in existence and today there are close to four hundred. I had time to read about what drove those birds The media seem increasingly interested in detailing us to death to the brink of extinction and wonder about the human impulse to with meaningless minutiae and featuring the immediate, emo- bring them back. AS A NEW DEMOCRACY EMERGES, AN ESTABLISHED ONE IS CONSIDERED (continued from page 1) That is part of their education in becoming active participants,” said Appleby. “Democracy is like a faucet turning on—it’s a flow. There are people who have been in it talking for a long time and people who are in there for the first time, and they’re all bashing around to- gether.” An Eye on Egypt: Lessons to Be Learned From an Emerging Democracy Council President and CEO Ralph Lewin addresses attendees at the forum reception (left); Omnia El Shakry and Chris Abani speak at the forum’s closing session (right). The day-long forum took on added significance and poi- gnancy because, less than author Gregory Rodriguez, and stuff, important and relevant… racy,” she stated, referring not a month earlier, the 30-year Republican Party representative and fun.” The subject at hand? to our system of government regime of Egyptian leader Ron Nehring. A contemporary take on the but to kinds and levels of par- Mubarak had been brought to ideals, issues, and challeng- ticipation. “Raw democracy is an end by a grassroots revolu- A 21st Century Conversation es—past, present, and endur- when people spontaneously tion—protests seen and heard Grounded in History ing—related to the health of our get involved.” Raw democracy the world over which inspired democracy and the character “is just fresh and out there and or re-ignited action and unrest of political discourse and civic hasn’t been moderated and in neighboring countries. Audience members who at- engagement in the US. seasoned.” tended the event in downtown “The people have come so far. LA—in-person or virtually— That’s a lot to bite off but, as Those new to public and politi- They have realized their own were invited to participate in the those who participated in the cal discourse who speak spon- power to topple the regime that roundtable-style sessions, all of forum said, the topic could not taneously and emotionally can has ruled more or less with an which were live webcast. Later, have been more timely, neces- elicit an upwelling of distrust, iron fist since 1981,” said clos- the opening plenary was edited sary, and relevant. she pointed out. “It’s sort of ing session panelist Omnia El and broadcast via public radio. hard for us to take that in and Shakry, an Egyptian-American Appleby offered insight into yet it is a part of a vigorous professor of history with fam- In mode and media, it was a one recurring theme from the democracy.” ily members living in Egypt. decidedly 21st century con- day: the concern that we are an “There is no turning back. […] versation, but one concerned increasingly divided country “When people enter into the The people just won’t settle for with and rooted in the humani- whose people cannot seem to discourse initially, they aren’t less.” ties—history and political the- speak productively with one very skilled at it. They don’t ory, informed viewpoints, and another. “There’s raw democ- know how to present an argu- Appleby’s metaphor of raw vs. thoughtful reflection. As one racy and there’s mature democ- ment, so they vent or shout. mature democracy also reso- participant said, “big picture 2 www.calhum.org “Ideas are born in quiet hours, and ideas can change the world.” We are learning that “fast” is not necessarily best for our food, the This is not frivolous. Ideas are born in quiet hours, and ideas can environment, international relations, our personal finances, our change the world. bodies, our minds. As I drove home, more slowly than usual, ready to return to my everyday life, I thought about how slowing down In these noisy times, let us not divorce ourselves from the world, seems paradoxically to create more time and less noise. but let us slow down and make quiet in order to live richer lives, to become more engaged and less distracted. Let us swim the depths Many of our greatest creations and achievements as human beings of incredible books. Let us hone our abilities to see and hear and come from making quiet. Think of the years, possibly decades of prepare for dialogue, not the soapbox.