A New Board Chair, a New Presidency, and a New Perspective
I am excited to be taking on the role of Chair of the Windham World Affairs Council Board this month, and especially at this particular political moment. As a longtime student of democratization, I know polarization only benefits democratic breakdown. Nonprofit organizations contribute to our democracy when they can work across political lines, connect people through discussion and debate, and develop new leaders in our community. These are my aims for the Windham World Affairs Council in the coming years.
Since arriving in rural Halifax during the pandemic, my family and I quickly understood the importance of being civil and respectful of our neighbors, upon whom we would depend completely if our car ended up in a ditch during mud season. In cities, it is possible to isolate yourself from those you disagree with and segregate into groups of like-minded people, but here in Vermont we all depend on each other. It is a mindset my family and I have embraced.
My colleagues and I on the board of the Windham World Affairs Council want to be a space where people can come together and learn from each other. The United States looms large in the rest of the world due to the size of our population, economy, military, and our exported culture. Like neighbors in Vermont, we can’t isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. Our impact is felt abroad and what happens elsewhere (like a pandemic) impacts us at home. We have a responsibility to the rest of the world, and US citizens and residents have just as much right to hold the US government accountable for its foreign policy as its domestic policy.
Furthermore, we need to learn from other countries’ experiences. The United States’ long history of democracy doesn’t make it immune to those who want to undermine our institutions, dehumanize our neighbors, and remake the government to reflect only their interests. My interest in democratization was sparked during the democratic transitions in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, and I went to work in international philanthropy because I thought the US had something to teach the world. However, I am humbled by the United States’ experience with democracy in recent years, and I seek to understand it by learning from countries that have gone through tumultuous political events and how they emerged from it. These are conversations we hope to bring to Windham County.
For these reasons, I am excited to be taking on a bigger role in our Board. In the Windham World Affairs Council’s next phase, we seek to engage our members, bring the local community together in our Salons, and learn from experiences in other countries through our expert speakers. We invite our neighbors in Windham County to join us as members, as speakers and participants in our Salons and events, and to consider joining the Board.
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