Four Freedoms & Beyond

FOUR FREEDOMS & BEYOND October 2022 | A Midwest Partners' Publication | FourFreedomsAndBeyond.com

What do you think about January 6?

What's This All About?

What Do You Think About January 6?

What’s This All About?

Our forefathers and mothers certainly understood that their A speech by President Franklin freedoms were under fire.

Delano Roosevelt on January 6, A speech by President But times have changed. With 1941, not January 6, 2022, Franklin Delano Roosevelt the seemingly uncontrollable, on January 1941, not inspired the6,Four Freedoms and Our forefathers and January 6, 2022, inspired the turbo-charged progress of Beyond project in Princeton mothers certainly Four Freedoms and Beyond understood their technology andthat knowledge, the earlier this year. project in Princeton earlier freedoms were under fire. times we now live in profoundly the outset of World War II, thisAt year.

But times have changed. differ from the America that At the outset of four Worldessential War He described With the seemingly II, he described four essential celebrated.

Rockwell uncontrollable, turbohuman freedoms : Freedom human freedoms: Freedom charged progress Maggie Meiners’ photographs, from fear, Freedom from Want, from Fear, Freedom from of technology and updating Rockwell’s images, ask Freedom ofofWorship, Want, Freedom Worship, and knowledge, the times we and Freedom of Speech. these how do we Freedom of Speech. nowquestions: live in profoundly Iconic artistNorman differ fromfrom those who lived back differ the America Iconic American American artist Norman Rockwell was asked that Rockwell then?

How docelebrated. the four Rockwell wasRoosevelt asked to depict to depict what Maggie Meiners’ freedoms affect us now? what about.

Roosevelt talked about. The people depicted by Rockwell's Freedom of Worship in talked Rockwell’s photographs, updating images of the Four Freedoms OurRockwell’s grandparents livedask through Rockwell's images of the Four the mid-1900s were quite different from today. images, and American culture questions: how do the these depression, World War II, and American Freedoms And when that information is incorrect, intentionally or inspired millions to ponder we differ from those who the Korean War and the cold culture inspired millions to the meaning of subjects not, it's no wonder we're not getting along very well. But it lived back then? How do war.the Then there was black and ponder the meaning of subjects The people depicted by Rockwell’s Freedom of Worship in the mid-1900s like democracy, patriotism, four freedoms affect doesn’t have to be that way. As Ms. Meiners and Mr. character, and values.patriotism,were quite different from today. white TV, rock and roll, like democracy, us now?

Rockwell have shown us, we can rediscover what allows us Photographer Maggie Our grandparents Disneyland, soda lived shops, character, and values. to live more at peace Meiners’ “Rediscovering regarding behavior.

We with today's canAmerica. rediscover what allows through the depression, suburbs, the civil rights Photographer Maggie Rockwell” exhibit at the Meiners'make We choices basedwill on not agree us live issues more at peace with probably onto many addressed in World War II, the Korean movement, Vietnam and the "Rediscovering Rockwell" Princeton Public Library in habit as well as We emotion War and the cold war. these pages. hopeand that thetoday’s mix ofAmerica. ideas and images will May andat June further We probably will not agree The pace tumult of there the 1960s. exhibit thefocused Princeton Publicinformation.

Then was black and of us allthat get information a better sense of we were,addressed who we are helpwhen discussion in churches, the And onwho many issues in white TV, rock and roll, progress shifted into overdrive.

Library in May and June focused and, equally important — who we want to be.

Grace Theater of Festival is incorrect, intentionally these pages.

We hope that the soda shops, InDisneyland, 2022, we see much, much further discussion in churches, 56, Logan Junior High, and or not, it’s no wonder we’re mix of ideas and images will suburbs, the civil rights more than before.

Freedom House. the Grace Theater of Festival 56,not getting along very well. help us all get a better sense movement, Vietnam Familiar and Social scientists and But it doesn’t have to be that of who we were, who we are social normsof the have been Logan Junior High, and Freedom the tumult 1960s.

Table of Contents marketers know belief and way. As Ms. Meiners and Mr. and, equally important — who The pace progress changing so of fast that we can’t House. We hope the discussion knowledge are not the same Rockwell have shown us, we we want to be.

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you can find the name of person behind the quotes at fourfreedomsandbeyond.com

demands of people who rarely had much of a public voice.

So...

AMERICA THE GREAT, AMERICA THE DREAM Long before there was MAGA, there was this. Read carefully.

Let America Be America Again

By Langston Hughes, July 1936

Let America be America again.

Let it be the dream it used to be.

Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed— Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There’s never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?

And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

Four Freedoms & Beyond • A Midwest Partners’ Publication

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.

I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek— And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!

Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!

Of work the men! Of take the pay!

Of owning everything for one’s own greed!

OPINION On July 3 this year, a full-page black and white ad appeared in the New York Times. The headline read, “WE ARE THE FOUNDERS: An open letter to all who believe in democracy.” It began with these words: “Imagine our families are safe, we have everything we need, our communities are thriving, we all belong, we honor and respect each other’s humanity, we are all free, and there is enough for everyone. This is not a fairy tale, but a glimpse at the future we can create together.”

vision that includes all — even those with a different vision for our future.”

Here in rural middle America, the words looked inspirational, like the rhetoric of other groups who have been trumpeting the value of “honoring those who came before us to make those rights and freedoms possible.”

It’s as though the writers of that open letter did so in direct response to both Langston Hughes’s poem and the “Make America Great

“This is not a fairy tale, but a glimpse at the future we can create together.”

This message attracted attention like many other full-page ads in an election year. It invited readers to “join us in the practice of freedom — a space of dreaming — with an understanding of your true power and birthright, not only to dream to make those dreams a reality.”

“We know that it’s our birthright to advance a more just and fair

Who Said It?

Again” slogan that has captured the attention of so many of our friends and neighbors.

Some readers visiting the We Are The Founders’ website are likely to strongly disagree with many of the strategies to reach the goals identified by the organization.

Continued on page 7

“I like to think our grand democratic experiment, though flawed, doggedly aspires to something better for all. We began with slavery but fought to extinguish it. Women were denied the vote. It was corrected. When fascism threatened the entire free world, we defeated it.”

“Captain Carrie” by Maggie Meiners

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I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.

I am the worker sold to the machine.

I am the Negro, servant to you all.

I am the people, humble, hungry, mean— Hungry yet today despite the dream.

Beaten yet today—O, Pioneers!

I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years ...

To read the whole poem and listen to the audio version recorded by Princeton journalist Nick Young, visit fourfreedomsandbeyond.com

At the Smithsonian National Museum of National History, The Four Freedoms posters still express the values that built America’s strength.

Even our ideas about patriotism are changing.

WHO ARE WE? Who We Were Then

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Who We Are Now

In the 1980s, Steven Glenn, author of Developing Capable Young People, observed some trends that most of us have not fully grasped, even now. In 1930, a child spent three to four hours a day with extended family — parents and children plus grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, most of whom lived close by.

This involvement included working together, discussing items of interest with other generations and playing together, which required personal and imaginative interaction.

Today’s extended family has been reduced to what we now call the nuclear family: parents and children.

Grandparents, aunts, and uncles now typically live somewhere else.

Within nuclear families with two parents at home, the interaction was reduced to 14 ½ minutes per day by the 1980s. Of those 14 ½ minutes, at least 12 were used in one-way negative communications — parents correcting children for things done wrong.

By 1950, according to the census, 70% of all Americans lived in an urban environment and only 30 percent on farms. This was a complete reversal of statistics!

By 1970, 90% of Americans lived in an urban environment, and even those living in a rural environment lived an urban lifestyle. With all its good effects, television had also brought into the average home attitudes, values and behaviors utterly foreign to those exhibited by the parents.

The fact that TV became the hub of social and leisure time in our society had even greater significance. In 1970 the average American watched television for five hours a day.

Add computers, the internet, email, social media, cell phones…and easy access to alcohol, addictive drugs, mass marketing of popular culture, and lifestyles that minimize family and community interactions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the average American spends at least seven hours per day looking at a screen.

Media of all kinds, however, are not the only influence on our minds.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, terrorism from within and elsewhere in the world, divisive politics, and the adverse effects of climate change further stimulate our anxiety.

Four Freedoms & Beyond • A Midwest Partners’ Publication

IMAGE CREDITS: Shown at left: Rockwell, Norman. Freedom from Want, 1943. Painting for The Saturday Evening Post, March 6, 1943. From the collection of Norman Rockwell Museum. © 1943 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Licensing, Indianapolis, IN. Norman Rockwell’s America by Christopher Finch, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., p. 206. Shown at right: “Freedom from Want” by Maggie Meiners.

Four Freedoms & Beyond • A Midwest Partners’ Publication

Four Freedoms & Beyond • A Midwest Partners’ Publication

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WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Who Said It?

“Fear is used by politicians and other partisans to manipulate and motivate us to fear and hate others, to give our support to candidates and causes that we wouldn’t otherwise support, to get us to turn on each other and to destroy our democracy from the inside out.Conversely, freedom from fear allows us to be bolder.”

Four Freedoms & Beyond • A Midwest Partners’ Publication

Got a piece of paper and something to write with?

Here’s a little exercise you might find interesting.

To the right are ten words.

Write down the first thing that comes to mind when you hear each word. Don’t worry.

Your answers are for you only.

Limit yourself to five seconds for each word.

You might be surprised by your first reactions. What you thought of first gives a pretty good hint of your perspective … and beliefs. The fact is, these words can mean very different things to very different people. No wonder we’re having a hard time talking about them!

Remember, what you write down is the first thing that comes to mind, not an answer that you write after thinking about it. The point is to be honest.

Might you be embarrassed if other people knew what

A sign about fears is displayed in a window on Main Street in Princeton.

“The Gossips” by Maggie Meiners

What Do We Really Think?

1. America 2. Guns 3. Love 4. Freedom 5. Fear 6. Beautiful 7. Black 8. Illegal 9. Flag 10. Christian ... and more Want to see where this can lead you? Try 40 more words at fourfreedomsandbeyond.com.

came to mind? Might you be afraid of criticism? Do your thoughts after the quick answers require more explanation or revision before you speak out, argue, or vote?

Who, ME? Biased?

Socially, we seek out and spend time with like-minded people. This is not a bad thing. In fact, according to recent neuroscientific research, humans are “hardwired” for it. But when we only seek information and viewpoints

that align with our beliefs and dismiss or ignore whatever challenges those beliefs, we do ourselves a disservice. We can combat this confirmation bias by purposefully connecting with those who disagree with us.

Hate groups in the present are not that different from hate groups of the past.

THANK YOU

Opinion, Continued from Page 2

MidwestPartners.org

THANK YOU midwestpartners.org

OPINION, Continued from page 2

To me, as editor of this publication, that list rang some of the same bells I was surprised to find in The Patriot’s Toolbox: One hundred principles for restoring our freedom and prosperity, published by The Heartland Institute.

I agreed with many more points of both groups than I disagreed with. especially want to is thank The We New York Times notartist Maggie Meiners, the primary likely to be the medium of reason this exists. And Pete Shively, choice project for anyone looking Nick Young, Chris Yeazel, Jessica Gray, for simple answers for the David Gray, Sheila Harrison, complexities of 2022 andJim Van Fleet, Lindsey Vaughn, Ron McCutchan, the future.

Margaret Martinkus, Julie Wayland and Opinion pieces and ads Princeton Public Library staff like those of WE ARE THE and Friends, Pam Horowitz, Kevin Shyne, Victoria Yepson, FOUNDERS can shine a light Charlie Gebeck, Nedda Simon, Festival 56, on what’s possible. And Adam Webber and Open Prairie Unity knowing about “the other Church, Trisha Schafer and staff at Freedom side(s)” of the arguments Poppens the Bureau County we House, oftenLex avoid canatoffer Historical Society, and of hope for The quality of hundreds life participants at Four Freedoms and Beyond for “us” all. —Rick Brooks

events. This publication was designed

For more resources,

by Kaylauseful Greenwell, an ABC AmeriCorps see "Who Do We to member servingWant North Central Illinois Be?" on page 8. through Midwest Partners.

Write to use at info@fourfreedomsanndbe yond.com at visit our wesite.

n WRITE TO US at info@ fourfreedomsanndbeyond.com and visit our website.

The goal of the Four Freedoms and Beyond project is to encourage collaborative, meaningful discussions on common American values while fostering empathy and understanding. The views and opinions expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the Interactivity Foundation, Illinois Humanities Council, Starved Rock Country Community Foundation, Shaw Media or other groups collaborating with Midwest Partners.

Four Freedoms & Beyond • A Midwest Partners’ Publication

(Additional Names to To me, as editor of Come) this choice for anyone looking publication, that list rang for simple answers for the some of the same bells I complexities of 2022 and the was surprised to find in future.

The goal of the Four Freedoms and Beyond project is to “The Patriot’s Toolbox: Opinionon pieces and ads like encourage collaborative, meaningful discussions common American values while fostering andof understanding.

One hundred principles for empathy those We Are TheThe Founders views and opinions expressed in this project do not necessarily restoring our freedom and can shine a light on what’s represent those of the Interactivity Foundation, Illinois Humanities Council, Starved Rock Country Community Foundation, Shaw prosperity,” published by The possible.

And knowing about Media or other groups collaborating with Midwest Partners.

Heartland Institute. “the other side(s)” of the I agreed with many more arguments we often avoid can points of both groups than I offer hope for the quality of disagreed with. life for “us” all.

The New York Times is not likely to be the medium of — Rick Brooks

n FOR MORE USEFUL RESOURCES, see “Who Do We Want to Be?”on page 8.

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WHO DO WE WANT TO BE?

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WHAT YOU CAN DO Between confirmation bias (your perspective on what you see, hear and might repeat), biased sources of misinformation and creative marketing, it’s not easy these days to determine what’s real or important. Some tips that have emerged from the Four Freedoms and Beyond project:

n BE AWARE of what sounds too good or “out there” to be true.

n TAKE CARE when you rely on the same sources for

“news,” political arguments, rumors, or entertainment.

n WHEN IN DOUBT, CHECK IT OUT!

Civics education and media literacy can help. And fact-checking can make a difference between your “truth,” someone else’s beliefs and hucksters’. Look for proof.

Doing the Work and Bridging the Gap To bridge differences, you usually need to start by accepting that you don’t have all the answers or a monopoly on the truth. Bridging is not about persuasion or coercion…It’s about understanding. It involves inner work, not just action. It’s sometimes about small shifts.

Four Freedoms & Beyond • A Midwest Partners’ Publication

One of the most comprehensive resources to do this is The Bridging Differences Playbook from the Greater Good Science Center. Here is a short list of organizations who are doing this work well: THE ILLINOIS CIVIC HUB: People of all ages —citizens and noncitizens, voters and non-voters alike, can benefit.

The Hub has lesson plans, toolkits, webinars and inperson conferences. It offers proven practices, model programs, and a wide range of resources for non-school groups and schools.

BRAVER ANGELS: A citizen’s alliance uniting “to depolarize America.” Workshops, debates, 1 to 1 conversations, library, book and film clubs, podcasts and more. braverangels.org STORY CORPS’ ONE SMALL STEP: Pairs people who don’t agree for one-on-one conversations to spark meaningful listening and to remind people of the humanity of all of us, and that it’s hard to hate up close.

For a more complete list visit fourfreedomsandbeyond.com

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Did you know?

How many hours per day does the average American spend listening, watching, reading, or consuming mass media? How about you?

Test yourself. Find the answer, as well as other quizzes, at fourfreedomsandbeyond.com