Illuminating Stronger Ties at Hartford's Night Fall

Night Fall event in Hartford with Connecticut's Capitol in in the background, October 7, 2017

Illuminating Stronger Ties at Hartford's Night Fall

By Preet Patel, Trinity College

Preet Patel (Trinity College ’21) is an aspiring economics major from Belchertown Massachusetts who is looking forward to getting more involved in Hartford in the coming years. During his first semester Preet volunteered at a Hartford Habitat for Humanity build with the Trinity Campus Habitat Chapter.

In the shadow of the illuminated state capitol building, hundreds of people sat mesmerized by a powerful show. Joyful laughter, sparkling smiles, and camera flashes dotted the magical landscape of Bushnell Park. Standing on stage and looking out onto people of many cultures and ethnicities, we raised and then lowered our lanterns, signifying the importance of a connected community rising through problems, and lowering barriers. Although it takes place only one night a year, Night Fall not only brings the community together, but serves as an epicenter for crossing borders, socially, economically, and ethnically, resulting in a region with greater social connectedness.

Night Fall and Social Capital

            Night Fall is a yearly community event held on the first Saturday in October, celebrating the rich culture, diversity and arts of Hartford through a majestic puppet performance. The show is the creative concept of lead artist, Anne Cubberly. The puppets and art featured in the show are created in conjunction with local artists and creative people of Hartford. Many of the performers and professionals in the show call Hartford home. Hartford's rich cultural communities are emphasized throughout the event. Before the show, the tempting aroma given off by the line of food trucks draws large crowds of people anxiously waiting for a delicious treat. Adults of different races, and cultures engage with one another, sparking fruitful conversations and interactions. 

People waiting in line at the food trucks at Night Fall

Despite the harmony at Nightfall, Hartford has seen a decline in social capital in recent years, with important consequences. Social capital as defined by Robert Putnam, is the social interactions, networks, and trust among community members that allow for collective action.^[1] Hartford through a series of events such as deindustrialization, suburbanization, and homogeneous communities, has experienced barriers to collective action between the city and the municipalities beyond the urban core.

Declining Social Capital in Hartford

            Hartford is an often misunderstood city that has experienced extraordinary transformations throughout its history.^[2] Today Hartford is fragmented both jurisdictionally and socially, contributing to weaker social ties between community members. There is not a clear chain of events to track Hartford’s decline in social ties, but there are some factors that illuminate the problem. One factor that led to the decline of Hartford was the city’s dependence on stable manufacturing, industrial, and insurance jobs. When those industries began merging with larger corporations, moving headquarters, or shutting down, the problems for Hartford really began.^[3] The movement of high skilled workers out of Hartford created among the most racially and socioeconomically polarized regions in America. In part as a result, Hartford’s central city has among the slowest growing economies in the United States. Meanwhile greater Hartford actually ranks as among the wealthiest regions in the world.^[4] The polarization between the suburbs and the city is also clear along racial and ethnic lines. The movement of people out of the city and into suburbs created a separation of people, ideas, and cultures, increasing the ever present divide.

The suburbanization of Hartford caused a profound ripple effect that led to the erosion of social capital between the city and the surrounding towns. Hartford has a disadvantage in that it has a fixed boundary, with no ability to expand. When the industrial jobs left, many high skilled workers left to the surrounding areas, because there was little growth within the city.^[5] When largely white people moved to the suburbs, they created homogeneous communities of politics, cultures, and ideals. The separation between the suburbs and the city is toxic for bridging social capital which, according to Putnam, allows people and communities to get ahead in life.^[6] The polarized communities across municipal boundaries prevent people from making social connections that offer potential for economic growth.

A large crowd gathered near the stage at Night Fall

Without bridging social capital, communities cannot benefit from sharing skills, and knowledge. Events like Night Fall are crucial, because they promote social connection of people across different town lines, ethnicities, and cultures, encouraging stronger social networks to address Hartford’s challenges and opportunities in the future.

Night Fall Strengthens Social Capital

Events like Night Fall work towards bridging social capital between the city and the surrounding towns in several ways. The food trucks with dozens of people in line force different people to interact with one another. The performers in the show are supported and are able to display their talents to the community. An audience member from West Hartford reinforced that she values Night Fall because it “increases social interaction between demographic groups.” This shared sense of culture brings the whole community together. Not only does this allow people from the suburbs to interact with people from Hartford, but it also bridges ethnic groups in Hartford. Night Fall allows these divided groups to come together and interact with one another, promoting unity and collective action among the people of Hartford and with people of greater Hartford.

One of most crucial ways Night Fall increases social capital is its emphasis and work within the community. In the time leading up to Night Fall, the organization hosts artistic workshops throughout the city. In the workshops, the community is connected to the show through the creation of lanterns.^[7] Constructing the lanterns increases social capital within the community because it fosters a sense of cultural unity. The people of Hartford have a chance to showcase their culture, art, and diversity, encouraging connection to one another.

Night Fall’s ability to promote diversity in the community makes it powerful tool in creating stronger social capital and consequently a tighter sense of community.^[8] In an interview with the Hartford Courant, LB Munoz, a chairwoman for Night Fall, stated: “every year we're trying to relate everything back to the neighborhood we're in. Downtown is incredibly diverse, home to people who have come from afar.”^[9] Night Fall celebrates Hartford’s diversity, and acknowledges that the city’s diversity is an asset that can propel the city past its barriers.

View overlooking the stage at Night Fall

Transforming Hartford Through the Power of Collective Action

            It is clear that the people of Hartford and its surrounding suburbs have the power to transform the city. Residents in the surrounding suburbs should attend events like Night Fall, and engage with and invest in the sleeping gem that Hartford truly is. Events like Night Fall prove that interactions across barriers are possible and fruitful. If there are more social interactions between the suburbs and the city then, according to Putnam, the region will be better equipped to meet any challenge.^[10] Just as I had the opportunity to lift the lantern from Night Fall’s stage, Hartford and the surrounding towns have the opportunity to illuminate a whole new generation in greater Hartford through collective regional action.

This article is the second in a series of four student blog posts featured from Trinity Assistant Professor Abigail Williamson's first-year student seminar Civic Engagement and Community as described in my blog post Classroom to Community at Trinity.

Don Shaw, Jr.

Writer and Editor

RedTruckStonecatcher.com

---

<sup>Photos by Preet Patel

[1]</sup> Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.)

https://books.google.com/books/about/Bowling_Alone.html?id=cettawwJwxsC

^[2] Chen, Xiangming, and Nick Bacon. Confronting urban legacy: rediscovering Hartford and New Englands forgotten cities. (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2015.)

https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Urban_Legacy.html?id=qeB_AQAAQBAJ

^[3] Walsh Andrew, “Hartford: A Glocal History,” Confronting urban legacy: rediscovering Hartford and New Englands forgotten cities. (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2015.)

https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Urban_Legacy.html?id=qeB_AQAAQBAJ

^[4] Chen, Xiangming, and Nick Bacon. Confronting urban legacy: rediscovering Hartford and New Englands forgotten cities. (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2015.)

https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Urban_Legacy.html?id=qeB_AQAAQBAJ

^[5]  Walsh Andrew, “Hartford: A Glocal History,” Confronting urban legacy: rediscovering Hartford and New Englands forgotten cities. (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2015.)

https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Urban_Legacy.html?id=qeB_AQAAQBAJ

^[6]  Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.)

https://books.google.com/books/about/Bowling_Alone.html?id=cettawwJwxsC

^[7] "Night Fall." Night Fall Hartford. (Accessed November 03, 2017.)

http://www.nightfallhartford.org/

^[8]  "Night Fall." Night Fall Hartford. (Accessed November 03, 2017.)

http://www.nightfallhartford.org/

^[9] Dunne, Susan. "Autumn Celebration Night Fall Moves To Bushnell Park." Courant.com. October 02, 2017. (Accessed November 03, 2017.)

http://www.courant.com/features/hc-night-fall-hartford-1005-20171004-story.html

^[10] Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.)

https://books.google.com/books/about/Bowling_Alone.html?id=cettawwJwxsC

Yanil Teron: Bonding the Heart of Hartford

Yanil Teron: Bonding the Heart of Hartford

by Muhammad A. Zeb, Trinity College

Muhammad A. Zeb is a freshman Class of 1963 Scholar from Corpus Christi, TX. He is founder of a South Texan non-profit called the Heritage Bridge Foundation, and has been selling cars since he was 16 years old.

A metropolitan area is similar to a human body, wherein each city functions as a unique organ, while the central city represents the heart.  The City of Hartford -- the heart of a 1.2 million person metropolitan area -- is starved of its lifeblood in a region starkly divided by income and race across municipal boundaries.^[1] These divisions present barriers to social capital^[2] in the region, reducing trust, participation, and its ability to work collectively. Activist Yanil Teron^[3] has rolled up her sleeves to reinvigorate the region’s social capital. As the executive director of the Center for Latino Progress, she recognizes that, “Hartford is truly the heart of this region.” She has dedicated her professional career to building community, especially among Latinos in Hartford. In addition to these close-knit bonding interactions, Ms. Teron further seeks to build bridging social capital across diverse groups in order to channel their energy through the veins of Hartford and its surrounding area.

Hartford’s Current Diagnosis

Historically, Hartford was synonymous with the term wealth. From manufacturing to finance to insurance, Hartford served as a hub of economic activity in the United States.^[4] Though this is not the case in the modern day, Hartford continues to possess generous traces of the resources of its glory days, such as a sizeable industrial sector. Hartford is also home to numerous higher education institutions. These institutions are a vital asset in the revival of Hartford as they nurture future citizens of the area. Instilling the importance of social capital in the students of such institutions offers a promising future for Hartford.

The city of Hartford enjoys a wealth of diversity. Though the existence of wealth and diversity in a region is often a positive element, diversity and wealth are polarized in greater Hartford, leaving much of the wealth in the surrounding suburbs.^[5] This departure of wealth from the city has led to a financial crisis in Hartford as the city has minimal taxable property within its 17.9 square mile jurisdiction. Furthermore, segregation and mistrust within and between the various ethnic populations of the city of Hartford are at a high level.^[6] As the largest ethnic group in the city is Latino, specifically Puerto Rican, Yanil Teron’s primary goal is to increase social capital among the Latinos of Hartford.

Step 1: Bonding a Broken Heart

            Social capital is a vital element in a successful community since it represents the value of human networks that enable collective social action. A high level of social capital is often associated with better health, better child development, and greater safety and prosperity.^[7] The two types of social capital, bonding and bridging, are closely related and one can contribute to the other.

To address the issue of the broken heart of the greater Hartford area, Yanil Teron is leading the Center of Latino Progress to generate bonding social capital among the Latino population of the city of Hartford. The projects led by Teron include immigration services and adult learning classes, specializing in English proficiency. These in turn coordinate with the FUTUROS program for job placement.⁹

Most recently, the Center for Latino Progress has developed the BiCi Co. program, which encourages individuals to bond over the activity of biking, through workshop courses and planned bike rides that facilitate face-to-face interactions.^[8] As Teron explained, “Our social capital plan goes beyond the professional interaction… we do fun things too.” In addition to fun, the program promotes environmental sustainability and transportation access.

To further build social networks in Hartford and beyond, Ms. Teron and her organization often partner with other organizations. This fall, for instance, they participated in the Heroes and Icons Exhibit by the Arte Foundation. At this event I was given a first-hand look at how Teron’s plan of increasing greater Hartford’s social capital occurs through the force of bonding social capital. 

Yanil Teron, center, with Matt Pianka (left) and Muhammad Zeb, both Trinity Class of '21

The event specifically focused on the interaction of people around their appreciation for Latino culture and heritage. The spectrum of attendance greatly varied from the Latino working class to elite members of society. I was impressed to see how a simple gathering can increase in bonding social capital. In a corner holding a plate of Puerto Rican delicacies, I saw a Latino entrepreneur giving job tips to a mom of two. Shifting my glance I saw an immigration attorney discussing policy with a state representative in the presence of a new immigrant.

            “This is only the first step in our plan,” Teron claimed when I expressed my awe to her. “The city of Hartford needs to bridge out to the wealthy suburbs to help greater Hartford improve,” she explained.

Step 2: Pumping Social Capital through the Veins of Greater Hartford.

As the map displays, Hartford is financially challenged yet its surrounding suburbs include dense pockets of wealth. Teron’s ultimate goal is to use the rebuilt heart of the region to pump social capital throughout the region, thereby connecting the financially stable to the financially marginal. “People come and go from the city every day, but they don't interact with the residents of the city. Our goal is to make these outside visitors interact with Hartford residents,” Teron elaborated. In order to accomplish this CLP is currently broadening its outreach to partner with programs like Hartford Magnet Schools and the Girl Scouts of Connecticut to increase bridging social capital.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2011-2014 estimates,
 generated by Muhammad Zeb using Social Explorer.

You should do something too.

Yanil Teron contributes to healing Hartford’s broken heart, through bonding social capital. Now her goal is to bridge this new social capital to the greater Hartford area, thereby reinvigorating the region. As the heart of the region, Hartford will pump social capital through the veins of the greater area, and gradually return to its vibrant past.^[9] Trinity students have a responsibility to aid this progression. According to Teron, “Trinity students must branch out of their homework assignments, and get out in the community,” in order to build bridging and bonding social capital. So the next time your friends decide to order food delivery, advise them to go out to a restaurant. Building social capital is an enjoyable process, and we have already made strides in the right direction, thanks to the efforts of Yanil Teron and other Hartford leaders.

Muhammad Zeb's article is the first in a series of four student blog posts featured from Trinity Assistant Professor Abigail Williamson's first-year student seminar Civic Engagement and Community as described in my blog post Classroom to Community at Trinity.

Don Shaw, Jr.

Writer and Editor

RedTruckStonecatcher.com

---

Photos and graphics submitted by Muhammad Zeb.

^[1] Chen, Xiangming, and Nick Bacon. Confronting urban legacy: rediscovering Hartford and

New Englands forgotten cities. Lexington Books, 2015. https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Urban_Legacy.html?id=sWYemwE

ACAAJ

^[2] Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New

York, Simon & Schuster, 2000. https://books.google.com/books?id=rd2ibodep7UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=bowling+alone&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGgqqFyKDXAhVrL8AKHaS1Ao8Q6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q=bowling%20alone&f=false

^[3] Teron Yanil, “Center for Latino Progress” ctprf.org, http://www.ctprf.org/

^[4] Chen, Xiangming, and Nick Bacon. Confronting urban legacy: rediscovering Hartford and

New Englands forgotten cities. Lexington Books, 2015. https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Urban_Legacy.html?id=sWYemwE

ACAAJ

^[5] Chen, Xiangming, and Nick Bacon. Confronting urban legacy: rediscovering Hartford and

New Englands forgotten cities. Lexington Books, 2015. https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Urban_Legacy.html?id=sWYemwE

ACAAJ

^[6] Teron Yanil, “Center for Latino Progress” ctprf.org, http://www.ctprf.org/

^[7] Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New

York, Simon & Schuster, 2000. https://books.google.com/books?id=rd2ibodep7UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=bowling+alone&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGgqqFyKDXAhVrL8AKHaS1Ao8Q6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q=bowling%20alone&f=false

^[8] Teron Yanil, “Center for Latino Progress” ctprf.org, http://www.ctprf.org/

^[9] Chen, Xiangming, and Nick Bacon. Confronting urban legacy: rediscovering Hartford and

New Englands forgotten cities. Lexington Books, 2015. https://books.google.com/books/about/Confronting_Urban_Legacy.html?id=sWYemwE

ACAAJ

Classroom to Community at Trinity

Trinity College Campus, Hartford, CT

Relationships. It's all about relationships. Relationships are the interpersonal connections among us that build social capital. Social capital is the sum of the relationships enabling a society -- a country, a city, a community -- to function effectively for everyone. Social capital is bound together in networks of relationships, and networks link to connect more people one to the other. Societies rise and fall on their investment in social capital. The stronger the networks, the stronger a society's social fabric. The weaker the networks, the chance of a tear, or, in the extreme, a complete shredding of the social fabric increases. It's simple in concept, but complex in practice. Observing it from afar, listening to a lecture, or reading a textbook doesn't cut it. 

October 3, 2017, marked the launch of Trinity College Assistant Professor Abigail Williamson's Civic Engagement and Community first-year student seminar unit on Social Capital in Hartford, an exercise in community learning. Along with gaining greater understanding of the theories of social capital by discussing it in context to life in Hartford, the unit introduces first-year "students to their role as Hartford residents and potential community members," and encourages them to "contribute to Hartford by publicizing Hartford civic events and the work of selected community leaders." All of this learning culminates in students sharing their Hartford experiences by "writing  blog posts for a general public audience."

To help the students start learning about Hartford, Dr. Williamson invited me to the October 3rd class to share my career and volunteer experiences working in and across Hartford's public, private and non-profit sectors, as well as to offer my blog as an initial forum for sharing their stories. My discussion with the class focused on the issues I see facing Hartford with which I've had first-hand experience -- specifically, city finances, affordable housing, poverty, homelessness, immigrant and refugee services, food insecurity, and education.

During the next several days, RedTruckStonecatcher will feature a series of the students' blog posts. Through them they will share their experiences learning about and participating in Hartford life, and we'll learn right along with them.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

The Gift of Dignity

With Christmas rapidly approaching stores are brimming with potential presents anticipating the post-Thanksgiving throngs rushing to buy the right gift for the right person. Gifts are the currency of the holidays. Given in the right spirit, gifts are important symbols expressing our love and affection for family and friends. 

Being on the outside looking in during this joyous time of year can be disheartening and debilitating. So in the same right spirit, donations are collected to share our abundance with neighbors less fortunate, unable to afford the right gift at the right price. It's a generous and caring tradition we encourage and rightly applaud every year. However, many parents desperate to buy their children presents, but unable to do so, swallow their pride to accept handouts. Ultimate parental embarrassment often occurs in front of their children when well-intentioned gift-bearing volunteers arrive at their door on charity visits. So what to do?

Add one more gift to your list, the gift of dignity. Give parents-in-need the opportunity to buy their gifts. It can be done. It has been done. Hartford City Mission's Christmas Store proves it.

For five years running, now entering it sixth season, Hartford City Mission (HCM), serving north Hartford, CT's neighborhoods, has succeeded in bringing Christmastime joy and dignity to the many families it serves through its after school and summer youth programs. As described on its website, HCM Christmas Store is a "special store where parents can buy new gifts for their children at tag sale prices. This gives the parents the dignity of purchasing gifts for their children ...  and allows them to raise money to help the mission subsidize the cost they have to pay to send their kids to sleepover camp in the summer."

In 2016 the store had more than 2,300 gifts in stock, and raised over $2,500 for sleepover camp. Its success has grown year after year "typically providing eighty families access to buy presents directly in their community, which has the added benefit of avoiding budget-stressing travel costs," explains HCM Executive Director David Ambrose. Last year the store sold nearly 700 gifts, a number that has increased significantly over the years. "Parents regularly volunteer at the store, and for those who still find the cost of buying gifts a strain, they may earn store credit through their volunteer work," Ambrose points out.

As beneficial as the ability for parents to purchase affordable presents is, the ability to make connections is equally as important. The Christmas Store's welcoming atmosphere allows families to connect directly with their children's participation in HCM's programs, and parents with each other.  "Through the store Hartford City Mission engages parents to foster a fuller connection to HCM's work, as well as connect and collaborate with other parents," emphasizes Ambrose. These connections build important relationships. They help everyone - parents, children and HCM - "communicate better and support each other, ultimately leading to a better understanding of community issues and needs, and potential solutions."

The Christmas Store's spirit is positive and vibrant. Long-time HCM volunteer, and now HCM's administrative assistant, Danielle Ambrose captures that spirit in her article The Christmas Store's "Gift" to Parents printed below.  It was featured in HCM's Winter 2017 Newsletter.

The Christmas Store's "Gift" to Parents 

by Danielle Ambrose 

HCM Christmas Store

"The doors open, and a maze welcomes you. The walls are not made of brick, concrete, or anything cold. The sides of the maze calling to you are tables piled high with toys. On your right you see action figures and battery operated trucks. On your left you glimpse countless bright pink and purple boxes of brand new shiny dolls waiting for a home. Straight ahead you see tall stacks of board games. And, out of the corner of your eye you see a whole table of art supplies spilling over, ready to be used.

HCM Christmas Store

Basketballs, footballs, and soccer balls fill another table. Then you turn around to see a tower of colorful stuffed animals. And oh my, have you ever seen so many Legos?

A smiling face comes alongside you, welcoming you, and encouraging you to look around and take your time picking out what you need. Smelling something sweet draws you to keep going, as the scent of hot chocolate entices you. The sounds of laughter, happiness, and Christmas music accompany you all the way through to the end.

What kind of dream is this? Not one that you need to wake up from! The HCM Christmas store recently finished its [5th] season of serving our Noah and Nehemiah After School (NAS) parents, neighbors, and friends.

We thank all of you who donated for your generosity in giving over 2,000 gifts, and for the time that many of you spent setting up the store, pricing, organizing, wrapping presents, and most of all being a friendly face to our HCM family. It was because of your giving spirit, that we were able to offer parents the gift of dignity, as they came into the room full of presents, holiday cheer, and welcoming volunteers. 

For many parents Christmas can be a discouraging time as they desire, but cannot afford to give their children something special, or surprise them with presents they are hoping for. Parents shopping at our Christmas store did not have to feel that disappointment. They came to the HCM Christmas store and watched their money stretch as the gifts were marked down below half price, many at tag sale prices!

As a volunteer and NAS parent, the magical feeling I shared with our HCM families that week was overwhelming joy! For me, the excitement I have leading up to Christmas grows daily as I imagine our children opening the gifts that we have thoughtfully, sometimes sacrificially picked out for them. The ultimate reward comes as they smile with joy over each one Christmas morning. It was so special to be at the store with families I have grown to know and love this school year, imagining with them their beautiful children’s familiar faces lit up with the same joy, and sharing in their excitement. I am so thankful that it is the greatest gift of all, Jesus, that has brought us all together!" -- Danielle Ambrose 

The gift of dignity is integral to the programs and services of many worthy organizations, too numerous to name, that focus on providing access to food, shelter, clothing, jobs, health care, education, etc. Their efforts must and should be supported. We must answer their calls to help them do more, individually and collectively. Hartford City Mission's Christmas Store provides a successful practical example of what can be done.

Let's give the gift of dignity this year, every year, every day, however we are able, to everyone everywhere. Dignity builds bridges of understanding, opportunity, and hope that bind people and communities one to each other.

If you would like to donate to HCM's Christmas Store, you may call Danielle Ambrose at Hartford City Mission at 860-246-0132. To learn more about Hartford City Mission, take a few minutes to view the HCM video at this link.

This post also was published in CT Viewpoints on December 12, 2017.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Photos and logo courtesy of Hartford City Mission

Divisiveness: A Weapon of Mass Destruction

What's the opposite of welcoming? Unwelcoming. What's the opposite of inclusion? Exclusion. Welcoming is inclusive, unwelcoming is exclusive -- it's divisive. 

Divisiveness is a weapon of mass destruction. It destroys families, communities, and countries. It's a plague. It sickens, weakens, and often kills its infected hosts who refuse to realize, until its too late, that their ignorant assumptions of someone or something not of their tribe -- the other, the stranger, the religion, or the ideology -- can lead to mass social destruction if we put fear and hatred reflexively ahead of listening and understanding. 

Last year I wrote Bipartisanship: A Bridge Too Far? in which I posed the question, "Can we as a nation come together to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in today's destructive U.S. court of public politics, where the truth can be elusive, and where spinning truth and facts to fit a point of view or a promised outcome seems all that we hear from competing politicians, regardless of political party?"

In the article I presented Mark Gurzon's and Arthur C. Brooks' points of view, which offered constructive ways to bring America together to reject the polarization that is preventing our ability to govern the United States effectively. They open a knowingly difficult path to restoring our faith in each other and in our country, but we have to have the courage to follow it. It gave me hope. It gave me optimism. "It's not a bridge too far," I concluded. Was I naive? Am I naive?

In the months since I wrote the piece, the dysfunction gripping the United States has tightened. Polarization has wedged a deepening divide between many segments of society. It's stretching our social fabric thinner and thinner. Our government leaders drive the wedge deeper, constantly blaming, mocking, name-calling, lying, and pointing fingers at those not of their tribe: people they dismiss out of hand, rather than attempt to embrace, include, or welcome, or even try to understand their points of view. It's a criticism they sharply accuse each other of doing year after year after year. They-did-it-so-we-can-too is their thinking. This approach is a weapon of mass destruction.

Yes, divisiveness is a weapon of mass destruction. It has the power to destroy us without launching a missile, dropping a bomb, or firing a bullet. Divisiveness is the weapon that charts the future path of rockets, missiles, and bombs. The internal and external enemies who threaten the destruction of the United States have been sowing the seeds of division for years, just waiting for the harvest. ISIS, racism, bigotry, and ignorance thrive on our dysfunction. They will hammer the wedge more each day if we don't wake up from our sleepwalking toward the abyss.

We have a choice. We can continue to sleepwalk aimlessly toward "permanent enmity" where "bigotry and contempt make it impossible for America to do many great things," or we can reject polarization and wake up from our national nightmare by exercising self-respect and respect for others. Which will you choose?


This post also was published in CT Viewpoints on November 7, 2017


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Government Always Matters

Satellite Image of Hurricane Irma
Credits: NASA/NOAA/UWM-CIMSS, William Straka

Mayor Bob Buckhorn got it right when he told NBC's Willie Geist "This is when government matters," after Hurricane Irma passed through Tampa.

It matters when government is prepared to lead. We honor and fully appreciate our first responders whose mission is to serve and protect us in the wake of disasters, both natural and human caused. We want and fully expect our governments -- federal, state and local -- to execute a coordinated and effective disaster response of immediate rescue and relief followed by supportive recovery and reconstruction efforts. 

We hail the many heroes from government, the military, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and every-day citizens running full speed to aid those in distress. We are mobilized by the common call of our human decency to help our friends, neighbors and strangers in times of immediate need.

President Trump made the right call when he unequivocally ordered immediate national disaster declarations directing rescue and relief aid to the victims of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. His focus was on saving lives, not what it might cost. It's a call we should expect any president to make. Thankfully, it's a decision made all the more easy because the United States has a well-prepared, expertly trained team ready to mobilize at a moments notice. A team long in the making years before Trump's presidency. A team championed, created and funded by generations of forward thinking federal administrations, state and local governments, NGOs, and citizens committed to sustaining it year after year.

It's a team comprised of weather scientists from NOAA and NASA who could rationally predict with a high degree of certainty the course and magnitude of the storms as they approached; of a network of seasoned news media skilled in broadcasting events as they unfold, and disseminating the government's warnings alerting the public; of expert first responders ranging from FEMA to military units to local fire, police, and emergency medical services; of hospitals and NGOs fully prepared and ready to fulfill their missions of aid and relief; of faith-based organizations calling on their congregations to respond; and concerned citizens, like you and me, ready to answer the call to assist our neighbors in need. Our ability to respond is the value of time-tested responsible government leadership. It is born of commitment to collaboration and trust, and a willingness to partner.

Our natural rush to respond to disasters brings out the collective best in us to help each other survive and recover. It unifies us. Let's capitalize on this unifying spirit to mitigate the occurrence of self-inflicted disasters. Disasters caused by how we may choose to negotiate international diplomacy; to send our military into harms way; to address economic growth and security; to understand science; and to enforce the rights and fair treatment of the abused and vulnerable. Being passive observers won't do. We must rush to help our government focus on creating a common good that is meant for all of us. To avoid self-inflicted disasters our leaders must choose wisely, and choose our leaders wisely we must.

"This is when government matters." This is why government matters. Government always matters.


This post also was published in CT Viewpoints on September 21, 2017


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Hartford Habitat Builds at Carter Project in Canada

Hartford Habitat Crew at JRCWP 2017
Lisa Chirichella, Don Shaw, Christina D'Amato, Tom Trumble

July 9-14, 2017, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

A week of building. A week of friendship. A week of faith. A week of changing lives. 

In celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary, President and Mrs. Carter brought their 34th annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project (JRCWP 2017) to several communities across Canada, with Edmonton and Winnipeg the two main host sites. The event highlighted Canada's welcoming embrace of diversity and inclusion. Of the project's 150 homes to be built, seventy-five are in Edmonton and nearby Fort Saskatchewan. Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity was there in body and spirit.

President Carter greeting volunteers, sponsors and Habitat homeowners
at the JRCWP 2017 opening ceremonies.

Lisa Chirichella, Christina D'Amato, Tom Trumble and I, representing Hartford Habitat, trekked to Edmonton to volunteer a "hand up" to our northern neighbors. Our assignment was House 21, the future home of the Yusuf Ahmed family (Yusuf, a Canadian resident originally from Ethiopia, and his wife and three children). For Tom and me it was our seventh international Carter project; for Lisa and Christina their first with the hope to volunteer for more.

Hartford Habitat crew Christina D'Amato, Tom Trumble,
Lisa Chirichella, and Don Shaw with future homeowner Yusuf Ahmed

In true Carter Project style, construction was a well orchestrated symphony of enthusiastic and welcoming voices, of pounding hammers, of buzzing saws, and of familiar construction commands -- "one, two, three, lift!" -- as walls, windows, and roofs were raised straight, plumb, and sturdy. Yusuf's commitment provided a resounding crescendo when he fulfilled his family's 500 hours of required sweat equity on our final work day. Congratulations were cheered all around!  

Homeowners and volunteers celebrated daily
with high-fives, hugs and handshakes. 

Every morning devotions and testimonials from the many grateful Canadian dignitaries, corporate and community sponsors, and Habitat leaders set us on our way to begin each day's construction after a hearty breakfast in the big-tent mess hall. But the truly emotional morning highlight was the daily ritual of high-fives, hugs and handshakes along with cheers of thanks and gratitude from Habitat homeowners-to-be. They greeted all of us -- more than 900 strong -- as we proceeded along the winding path to the work site. That alone was enough nourishment to last the whole workday!

As  volunteer builders we looked to our house leader Mike O'Brien, a Habitat pro from Calgary, for expert guidance. He masterfully expanded our technical skills. We built exterior and interior walls, installed insulated siding and windows, built stairs, and, believe it or not, "squared" the walls of the entire first floor (that's the value of a good Habitat supervisor!). Under Mike's leadership we, along with about ten other volunteers assigned to our house, accomplished a lot by week's end. Simultaneously exhausted and exhilarated, we looked forward to accomplishing more back home.

Lisa and Christina installing
fire wall insulation on the house's sheathing.

Tom and Don building an interior wall.

As we departed Edmonton, we reflected on Habitat for Humanity's founding conviction "that every man, woman and child should have a simple, durable place to live in dignity and safety, and that decent shelter in decent communities should be a matter of conscience and action for all." 

The benefits of an affordable safe, secure, healthy home are measurable. It is well documented that good, solid affordable housing provides an opportunity for a family to thrive in an environment unburdened by the stress and insecurity of constantly searching for a stable place to call home. Children achieve greater success in school, parents focus more on succeeding in their careers, and families realize better health outcomes, just a few of the many benefits of a decent, affordable home. 

In the words of President Carter, "In order to create true, sweeping changes in providing decent housing, we must begin to talk about this human necessity as a basic human right. This is not something that families around the world can only wish to have, not something that only the luckiest can hope to realize, but something that everyone should have an opportunity to achieve.

When we understand the magnitude of housing needs and their different forms in communities worldwide, we will recognize that as more fortunate people we are morally obligated to act. Once we view the issue of housing in these appropriately urgent terms, we will begin to act in concert more effectively.”

We are committed to supporting Habitat for Humanity. It is why we build in Hartford. It is why we traveled to Edmonton. Please join us.

Note: Lisa Chirichella is Chair of Hartford Habitat's Board of Directors; Christina D'Amato is Hartford Habitat's Corporate Engagement Manager; and Tom Trumble and Don Shaw are Hartford Habitat Board Members Emeritus. 

Photos: Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity International and Hartford Habitat JRCWP 2017 team.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com