Dialogue Across Difference

In the inaugural Nakasaka Dialogue, Thomas Friedman and Professor Larry Jacobs discuss the major issues facing the U.S. and the world.

The Nakasaka Dialogues stimulate conversations about the state of public life and encourage progress toward our shared bonds.

From the 1800s through the middle of the 2Oth century, federated fraternal orders based in regularly meeting local lodges and supralocal headquarters and conventions allowed Americans of all backgrounds to combine for mutual aid and civic assertion. African Americans were super-organizers and joiners within this fraternal world. Forming federations that spanned states, regions, and often the nation as a whole, Blacks created some orders paralleling major white orders but also large numbers of their own distinctively named orders. Through these orders, they built economic security, worked for social advancement, and pushed back against the social exclusions, cultural insults, and political restrictions of Jim Crow segregation. Women played a much stronger role in African American “fraternalism” than in white variants, and Black orders had an unusually strong focus on community service, while also serving as an organizational sphere where individual male and female leaders could develop and display business and civic talent.

Professor Theda Skocpol presents original research - including membership badges from Black fraternal orders - connecting mutual-aid associations in the South with the Civil Rights movement. This talk includes personal stories of amazing discoveries, along with a larger explanation of why these associations, most of them no longer with us, are an inspiring part of U.S. and African American history that must not be lost.

Partisan gridlock in the U.S. Senate, exemplified by the present day, “no-effort” filibuster, has made it difficult for the Senate to pass meaningful legislation and respond to the needs of the country. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) favors the "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" solution - talk. Senators who want to filibuster should need to stand up on the floor of the Senate to hold up action on bills they object to. Restoring the "talking filibuster," Senator Merkley argues, would bring the Senate back to the deliberative body it was designed to be, restore the incentives for both parties to seek compromise, and, in the process, help renew and strengthen our democracy. Join us for a conversation with Senator Jeff Merkley and Professor Larry Jacobs as they explore the history and debates of the filibuster.

The Democrats' success in the 2022 elections gave them full control of Minnesota state government for the first time since 2014 and a long list of priorities to act on. So far, this legislative session has been one of the busiest in recent history. Join us for a conversation with political reporters Briana Bierschbach of the Star Tribune and Brian Bakst of MPR on what the Minnesota Legislature is working on, successes so far, potential pitfalls coming, and projections of how the session may wind up. Prof. Larry Jacobs will moderate.

Access to Health Care After the Pandemic Emergency by Dialogue Across Difference Podcast by Center for the Study of Politics and Governance

A New Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2023 with a profound change: Republicans are in the majority in the US House of Representatives. What will be the consequences for domestic and foreign policy and politics? A terrific panel featuring Sarah Binder, Kathryn Pearson, and Michael Minta will explore.

Hateful conflict permeates our politics and, too often, our private lives. It infects our ability to think clearly and consumes our time and energy.

Amanda Ripley's groundbreaking journalism and books are being taken up by citizens and legislators to chart a new way forward. In this conversation with the award-winning Krista Tippett - a collaboration between On Being and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs - they explore why we get trapped in conflicts and how we can break the spiral.

How will the headwinds facing Democrats play out in the state's legislative races this fall? Will Republicans be able to win back the Minnesota House and the Governorship? Star Tribune political reporter Briana Bierschbach and political science professor Kathryn Pearson discuss the latest news and predictions of Minnesota's state elections.

Latinx voters are the fastest growing voting block of the US. electorate. How will they influence the outcome of the upcoming 2022 midterm elections? Mark Hugo Lopez of the Pew Research Center will examine the attitudes and voting patterns of this diverse group of voters.

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, is leading efforts to secure voting rights and protect our democracy. Join us to hear her speak about the state of American democracy, its future, and what we as citizens can do to protect it.