3/14
In 1971 an unlikely pairing of a black community organizer and a member of the Ku Klux Klan were asked to co-chair a “charrette” - a 10-day meeting – to address school desegregation in Durham, North Carolina. #velshi
In 1971 an unlikely pairing of a black community organizer and a member of the Ku Klux Klan were asked to co-chair a “charrette” - a 10-day meeting – to address school desegregation in Durham, North Carolina. #velshi
4/14
Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis were that unlikely pairing, each chosen for the same reason - because their connection to the matter made them prominent and relevant voices for each side of the contentious issue. #velshi
Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis were that unlikely pairing, each chosen for the same reason - because their connection to the matter made them prominent and relevant voices for each side of the contentious issue. #velshi
5/14
Both were invested in the outcome, as both also had children in Durham schools. Ann Atwater was said to be a no-nonsense black activist who distrusted all white people and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. C.P. Ellis was a leader in the local chapter of the Klan. #velshi
Both were invested in the outcome, as both also had children in Durham schools. Ann Atwater was said to be a no-nonsense black activist who distrusted all white people and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. C.P. Ellis was a leader in the local chapter of the Klan. #velshi
6/14
They didn’t really like each other. But they had a job to do & a future to embrace, and their initial anger toward one another morphed into a sort of understanding. On the final day of the 10-day “charrette”, Ellis addressed a crowd that included other Klan members. #velshi
They didn’t really like each other. But they had a job to do & a future to embrace, and their initial anger toward one another morphed into a sort of understanding. On the final day of the 10-day “charrette”, Ellis addressed a crowd that included other Klan members. #velshi
7/14
Ellis announced that he thought it was better to desegregate the schools. He then ripped up his KKK membership card. That was a Hollywood ending. In fact, those real-life events were portrayed in a recent Hollywood movie called “The Best of Enemies”. #velshi
Ellis announced that he thought it was better to desegregate the schools. He then ripped up his KKK membership card. That was a Hollywood ending. In fact, those real-life events were portrayed in a recent Hollywood movie called “The Best of Enemies”. #velshi
8/14
The quaint idea of a “charrette” 50 years ago – putting people with opposing ideas in a room for ten days to work it all out. Except it’s actually what our democracy is based upon, and we are doing a terrible job with it right now. #velshi
The quaint idea of a “charrette” 50 years ago – putting people with opposing ideas in a room for ten days to work it all out. Except it’s actually what our democracy is based upon, and we are doing a terrible job with it right now. #velshi
9/14
Our ability to have constructive discussions about real issues slips away daily as anxiety and fear seep in. There’s less common ground and less common wisdom. Discourse has been replaced by gaslighting, trolling and zero-sum thinking. #velshi
Our ability to have constructive discussions about real issues slips away daily as anxiety and fear seep in. There’s less common ground and less common wisdom. Discourse has been replaced by gaslighting, trolling and zero-sum thinking. #velshi
10/14
Anti-trans bills, new voting laws, radical politicians - everything is a cultural wedge. We are wired to defend our values and principles and personal beliefs from anyone or anything we feel is attacking them. #velshi
Anti-trans bills, new voting laws, radical politicians - everything is a cultural wedge. We are wired to defend our values and principles and personal beliefs from anyone or anything we feel is attacking them. #velshi
11/14
That’s the ONLY common theme left - everyone feels like everyone is attacking them. Where there are gaps, there are no longer bridges. Where there were once sides that tried to work together there are now infinite corners into which like-minded thinkers escape. #velshi
That’s the ONLY common theme left - everyone feels like everyone is attacking them. Where there are gaps, there are no longer bridges. Where there were once sides that tried to work together there are now infinite corners into which like-minded thinkers escape. #velshi
12/14
We don’t even agree that there are – or should be – two or more sides to an issue. There’s your side, and there’s the wrong side. Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis could have gone that way but didn’t. #velshi
We don’t even agree that there are – or should be – two or more sides to an issue. There’s your side, and there’s the wrong side. Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis could have gone that way but didn’t. #velshi
13/14
It’s true the Klansman Ellis’s view evolved, but Atwater made the choice not to disengage, isolate or dispose of him, despite views he held that were abhorrent to her. In fact, they remained friends until the day he died. She delivered a eulogy at his funeral. #velshi
It’s true the Klansman Ellis’s view evolved, but Atwater made the choice not to disengage, isolate or dispose of him, despite views he held that were abhorrent to her. In fact, they remained friends until the day he died. She delivered a eulogy at his funeral. #velshi
14/14
For those of us whose goal is a more inclusive society – we will not get there by leaving people with whom we disagree out of the cart. As distasteful as it feels, working “en charrette” may be the only way to create durable change. #velshi
For those of us whose goal is a more inclusive society – we will not get there by leaving people with whom we disagree out of the cart. As distasteful as it feels, working “en charrette” may be the only way to create durable change. #velshi
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