Creating a Community of a Larger Memory

1. Creating a Community of a Larger Memory Resolutions for the 21st Century

2. What is a larger memory?

3. The future is in our hands. The choices we make will be influenced by whether our memory of the past is the Master Narrative of American history or the narrative of a “A Different Mirror.” A history that leaves out minorities reinforces separation, but an inclusive history bridges that divide.

4. Mexicans were 1st incorporated into the USA by the 1846-48 war a/g Mexico & then pushed by poverty from the south & pulled El Norte by employment. Chinese came seeking “Gold Mtn.”& sought sanctuary from British Opium wars & peasant rebellions, & harsh economic conditions. Irish came escaping hunger of the Potato Famine, & the rise of the British ranching economy which evicted the Irish from their homes. Jewish were pushed by pogroms from Russia in 1880s. Japanese emigrated because Meiji emperor imposed burden of taxation; left for land of money trees. ONE AMERICA

5. “And I say the sacred hoop of my people was one of the many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father.” -Black Elk In 1872, Black Elk, a Lakota Sioux of the Oglala band, had a great vision. In this vision he saw the "sacred hoop" of his people situated among the many hoops of the other peoples of this earth, all of them together forming a circle as vast as "daylight and starlight." The time has come for us to realize the truth of Black Elk's vision. No longer can we pull back into our separate tribes and pretend that what we do matters only to those in our family, our religion, our country. We live in one world, and the larger nation of which we are all members is the Human Nation. The time has come.

7. Americans have choices to make: • Intellectual, social, & political choices • How do we define ourselves as Americans? • We can view history in a different mirror • Challenge the traditional master narrative of American history • Recognize our common membership in a “vast, surging, hopeful army of [cultural] workers” • A nation “dedicated” to the “proposition” of equality • We can share our varied stories & create a community of a larger memory, more inclusive & recognizing our multicultural past

8. Awareness must come from a “Re-Visioned” history • A revolution from within • Substitute a more inclusive & accurate history of all the peoples of America • To become visible –to see ourselves & each other in a different mirror of history

9. Recognition • Unlearning • Relearning • Dehegemonizing • Decanonizing • Demythologizing • Unmasking • Diversity as a source of national identity & unity

10. E pluribus unum? • The genius of America lies in its capacity to forge a single nation from peoples of remarkably diverse, racial, religious, & ethnic origins • The movement from exclusion to inclusion necessitates a constant revision in the texture of our culture • Liberating ideas of individual liberty, political democracy, the rule of law, human rights, & cultural freedom • Freedom of inquiry • Freedom of artistic creation • Freedom of protest

11. Have the tragic crimes of the west produced their own antidotes? • Freedom of expression • Freedom of inquiry • Freedom to advance personal liberty • Freedom to advance human rights • Civil liberties • Equal Justice for all

12. Create “free zones” for intercultural dialogues, radical thinking, & community building

13. We must rediscover our communities in turmoil, redefine our problematic relationship to them, & find new ways to serve them.

14. We must face divisive issues directly but with respect, without indicting anyone, without name calling. We need new models of collaboration between races, genders, & generations (free zones).

15. The New World Border • Where indigenous peoples meet with diasporic communities. There is very little place for static identities, fixed nationalities, or sacred traditions • People live between & across various cultures, communities, & countries • Identities are constantly being reshaped by experiences • Elaborate a new set of myths, metaphors, & symbols that will locate us within all these fluctuating cartographies

16. American Diversity • Helps students face the conceptual & cognitive challenges of a world that is diverse rather than monocultural • Becomes a vehicle to better understand the complexity of what happened in history • Advances your knowledge because you learn about the history of a racial group different from your own • Elevates the whole dialogue

17. “…to form a more perfect union” • Widen the circle of opportunity • Deepen the meaning of freedom • Strengthen the bonds of our community • Ensure justice for all

18. “America is not a nation, so much as a world.”

19. “The time has come for us to embrace our varied selves. A new America is approaching, a society where diversity is destiny… Let America be America again…Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed…[where] equality is in the air we breathe.”