Democracy and Flourishing

Today I was teaching a class about leadership in which I found myself claiming that democracy as a way of life or everyday practice is one of the things every person needs to be fulfilled, to thrive, to flourish as a human being. It is the sort of thing you sometimes say (or at least I do) when you get caught up in the heat of a teaching moment, when you find yourself speaking so passionately that you fall prey to hyperbole and exaggeration. So once the class was over and there was time to consider the situation more soberly, I wondered: Is it really true that democracy as a way of life is one of the conditions that makes human flourishing possible?

My temptation is to say both yes and no. No in the sense that I am sure we can all think of people who have led very fulfilling, self-realized lives without the support of a democratic environment. But yes is also a defensible answer in that democracy makes such self-fulfillment so much more likely. Why should that be the case?

Democracy, at least in the sense I mean it, is form of interaction that allows you to speak openly and freely in conversation with others, invites you to listen closely and profitably to what those others say to you, encourages you to learn from and build on what other people contribute, gives you at least some say in the decisions that a group of people arrive at, and helps you gain new appreciation for what individuals can add to a group and can accomplish together as a community of thinkers and doers.

Without democracy, our speaking skills aren't quite as sharp nor is our listening ability nearly as well developed. Our capacity for learning also isn't quite as large, and our experiences in making decisions that affect our life not quite as great. Finally, our opportunities to appreciate what it means to be part of a collaborative group also end up being much more limited. In other words, I don't think we can reach our potential as people without the experiences that define democratic practice.

As usual, John Dewey probably said it most comprehensively (if not best) in that famous speech he gave during his 80th birthday celebration in 1939. Titled "Creative Democracy: The Task Before Us," Dewey spoke of his grounded faith in the ability of human beings to reach sound decisions through reason and practical judgement that grow out of continuous and increasingly expansive dialogue. He noted that when democracy is absent, the contacts, the exchanges, the communications, the interactions which make learning and growth possible are greatly constrained. When democracy is present, the points of contact between individuals through communication proliferate, leading to a body of experience that enlarges and enriches, and supports us in overturning our unexamined and untenable assumptions.

Perhaps most relevant of all to the argument that democracy makes human flourishing possible are these words from Dewey: "The democratic faith in human equality is belief that every human being, independent of the quantity or range of personal endowment, has the right to equal opportunity...and the democratic belief in the principle of leadership is a generous one. It is universal. It is a belief in the capacity of every person to lead his own life free from coercion and imposition by others provided right conditions are supplied."

To the extent that democracy grants us control over the direction and purpose of our own life and to the extent that such control is the key to human self-realization, so the connection between democracy and human flourishing is established. Hyperbole? Hardly. As Dewey has said countless times in hundreds of different contexts, Democracy and growth go hand in hand. We cannot develop as learners, nor as people in relationship with others without the school that democracy provides. What motivates us most as humans and as practitioners of democracy is what Dewey called our "generous belief in [our] possibilities as human beings, a belief which brings with it the need for providing conditions which will enable these capacities to reach fulfillment."

We thus embrace democracy, especially in its everyday form, as the path that makes the pursuit of happiness possible. Jefferson understood this as well as Dewey. Emerson most assuredly did, too. If scientists advance by standing on the shoulders of giants, then practitioners of democracy advance by sitting in a circle with other practitioners of democracy. It is an endless, dizzying, exhilarating, and ultimately life-giving process that continually opens the way, in Dewey's own words "into the unexplored and unattained future."

Two-Eyed Theory of Human Development

If I told you I had a two-eyed theory of human development, would you want to hear more about it? Well, here it is in a nutshell. In the two-eyed theory of human development, you keep one eye focused on your own expanding well being, on the connection between what you are giving your time to and your own quest to rediscover your authentic but often misplaced self. You train the other eye on what you are doing to help others further their own well being, to help them achieve their own self-fulfillment. Now, even though the two eyes are separate and focused on two different things, they are, at their best, entirely compatible, part of the development of a human being's full integration. The two eyes, as separate as they may appear, have a way of merging into one holistic vision in the end. Not always, of course, but in a surprising number of cases, those who enjoy a sense of fulfillment find they are devoting a good part of their lives to helping others fulfill themselves as well.

Changing the World

Margaret Mead once said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." This is the sort of quote that many people love. It seems so wise, so perceptive, so appreciative of what can be accomplished by just a tiny band of outsiders. And it came to mind tonight when we met for the first time with Wagner College's first group of Bonner Leaders. Bonner refers to the Bonner Foundation, a national network of Leadership programs at over 90 colleges and universities focused on nurturing community activists who learn to strategize for social change, particularly around issues relating to poverty, hunger, education, healthcare, immigration, and environmental sustainability. Most Bonner programs at full capacity do not exceed 80 students. Wagner, which is beginning with 12 students, will achieve its capacity three years from now with 48 Bonners. A small band of leaders indeed. But can they change the world? Who knows? But I will be watching their progress with interest.

Except for all the Others...

Remember the Winston Churchill line that "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." Well, we know pretty clearly what makes democracy terrible, how exasperatingly slow it can be, how riddled with obstacles and roadblocks, how difficult to reach a final outcome. It takes forever to get anything accomplished, and even then, the final result is ordinarily just a pale version of our original intent. Yes, we know all that, but what makes it better than all the others? I would say it is the wisdom of crowds principle. When the populace has a chance to be heard, when the full range of peoples' opinions is aired, the outcome comes pretty close to what is best for all of us. Democracy can be laborious and frustrating, but the real problem of democracy is simply that we have never had enough of it. The more we can do to get people actively involved in thinking through and acting on what is best for their communities, the better off all of us will be.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Today is the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail. There are few works that are more satisfying to reread. You can find the full version here.

Why satisfying? Because it is a very beautiful letter, full of captivating phrasings and simple, elegant language. It also offers a devastating and concrete account of what it was like to be a Black person in this country, especially in the South in 1963. The famous paragraph that begins with why Black people are no longer willing to "wait," owing to the prejudices and everyday indignities they have so long endured, remains a mini-lesson in great writing that also has the rhetorical power to move people to action.

When he wrote this letter, Dr. King was responding to 8 so-called moderate clergyman (including one Rabbi) who had written a "Call for Unity" which somehow found space to praise the harsh tactics of the local police but offered no affirmation of the non-violent and dignified conduct of the Black demonstrators themselves. Here is the gist of their statement:

"However, we are now confronted by a series of demonstrations by some of our Negro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders. We recognize the natural impatience of people who feel that their hopes are slow in being realized. But we are convinced that these demonstrations are unwise and untimely. We agree rather with certain local Negro leadership which has called for honest and open negotiation in our area. And we believe this kind of facing of issues can best be accomplished by citizens of our own metropolitan area, white and Negro, meeting with their knowledge and experience of the local situation. All of us need to face that responsibility and find proper channels for its accomplishment. Just as we formerly pointed out that "hatred and violence have no sanction in our religious and political traditions", we also point out that such actions as incite to hatred and violence, however technically peaceful those actions may be, have not contributed to the resolution of our local problems. We do not believe that these days of new hope are days when extreme measures are justified in Birmingham. We commend the community as a whole, and the local news media and law enforcement officials in particular, on the calm manner in which these demonstrations have been handled. We urge the public to continue to show restraint should the demonstrations continue, and the law enforcement officials to remain calm and continue to protect our city from violence. We further strongly urge our own Negro community to withdraw support from these demonstrations, and to unite locally in working peacefully for a better Birmingham. When rights are consistently denied, a cause should be pressed in the courts and in negotiations among local leaders, and not in the streets. We appeal to both our white and Negro citizenry to observe the principles of law and order and common sense."

And here is Dr. King's response to the failure of the clergymen to recognize and affirm the Black protesters:

"I wish you had commended the Negro demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of the most inhuman provocation. One day the South will recognize its real heroes. They will be the James Merediths, courageously and with a majestic sense of purpose facing jeering and hostile mobs and the agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer. They will be old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy-two year old woman of Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not to ride the segregated buses, and responded to one who inquired about her tiredness with ungrammatical profundity, 'My feets is tried but my soul is rested.' They will be young high school and college students, young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience's sake. One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters they were in reality standing up for the best in the American Dream and the most sacred values in our Judeo-Christian heritage."

The Letter is ultimately satisfying, because Dr. King proved to be so prescient in his Letter. Fifty years later most of us now recognize these freedom fighters to be the true patriots of this period. It is they we turn to for lessons on leadership. It is they we remember for their courage and forbearance. It is they whom we celebrate 50 years later. The Letter from a Birmingham Jail has become part of our democratic heritage. It is a reminder that in a dark time there are people who rose up and did, in fact, live out the true meaning of the American creed.

Facts on Immigration Today

Thanks to the Center for American Progress, we have at our disposal a broad array of well founded facts that should help us in making thoughtful and reasonable decisions about Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Here are a few of the highlights from an article by Ann Garcia on the Center's website. You can read the full article here.

As of 2011, there were about 40 million foreign-born residents in the United States. This includes 15 million naturalized citizens, 13 million permanent  residents, and 11 million undocumented. The percentage of foreign-born people in the U.S. is now 13%, less than the peak of 14.8% in 1890, but still really substantial. In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the percentage of foreign-born people.

Almost a million of these 40 million foreign-born, identify as gay or transgender. About 68% have a high school diploma or equivalent, which is less than the native-born population, but 11% have master's degrees, professional degrees or doctorates compared to 10% of the native-born. Of the foreign-born, 52% own homes compared to 67% of the native-born.

Regarding the undocumented specifically, people from Mexico account for 59% of the 11 million, with 6% from El Salvador, 5% from Guatemala, 3% from Honduras, and 2% from China and the Philippines.

Here is a striking and important fact. Of the 11 million undocumented, 63% have been living in the U.S. for 10 years or longer.

And here's another fascinating claim regarding the economic benefits of embracing the 11 million undocumented. If they were given a path to citizenship, over the next 10 years the stimulus to the U.S. economy could easily exceed 1.1 trillion dollars.

The overall point, of course, is that immigration reform is good for everyone, the undocumented and those who are already citizens of the U.S. It stands to benefit us economically, educationally, culturally, and politically. It is a cause whose time has come. It is now just a matter of mustering the will to make it happen.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 9th, students, faculty, and staff from Wagner College will hold a press conference urging the U.S. Congress and the New York State legislature to support Comprehensive Immigration Reform. We hope to have a City Council Member and a New York State Assemblyman in attendance. In any case we will be asking everyone to support the petition below that was drafted by Wagner student and community activist Kevin Ferreira. We ask that others who read this also reach out to their legislators to gain support for a reform whose time truly has come.

If you want to sign the petition, please go here: http://tiny.cc/wagnerCIR 

To:

Sen. Charles Schumer

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Representative Michael Grimm

State Senator Diane Savino

State Senator Andrew Lanza

Assemblyman Matthew Titone

Assemblyman Michael Cusick

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis

Assemblyman Joseph Borelli

We, faculty, students and staff of Wagner College, join countless others in our surrounding Staten Island, New York and American communities in calling for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and passage of the New York State DREAM Act. In the spirit of Wagner College’s commitment to service, leadership and citizenship we write to you to defend family unity, support economic growth, promote cultural diversity and uphold equal rights for all people.

Currently, there are an estimated 11 million undocumented people in the United States. These individuals and families face unprecedented struggles, even as they continue to contribute enormously to our country’s wealth and well-being. In the last two years, over 200,000 parents of US-born children have been deported, tragically upending thousands of families. On the job, undocumented immigrants face unsafe work conditions and receive unfair and insubstantial wages that prevent them from accessing the decent health care and adequate housing they need to sustain their families. Despite facing these hardships, a majority of undocumented immigrants pay taxes, and in 2010, contributed over 11.2 billion dollars to state and local governments. We applaud the hard work that immigrants do in our communities and in our economies, and in recognizing these hardships and these contributions we ask that Congress, in return, support Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Reform must include a pathway to citizenship that will enable every person in our country the ability to participate freely in our democratic society. Such a pathway must be feasible and fair and not overly burdensome with fees and requirements that disqualify many undocumented individuals.

Reform must support family unity, without discrimination. Families have long been a core institution of American society, promoting social stability, fostering economic independence, and inculcating positive values. Keeping families together is therefore fundamental and must stand as an inviolable principle that supports a family-based immigration system.

Reform must immediately ensure that undocumented youth who were brought to this country as children have equal access to a college education. As members of an institution of higher education that has transformed countless lives, we affirm the priceless value of higher learning and the role it has played in helping millions to achieve the American DREAM and build a stronger society. Undocumented youth must have the same opportunity as everyone else to pursue that DREAM, not only for themselves but also to build a more self-reliant and productive country for the benefit of all. We believe that it is of the utmost urgency to recognize those undocumented youth who do not have equal access to higher education and pass the New York State Dream Act. While calling on the federal government to address immigration we recognize that our state can take immediate action by creating equal opportunity and equal access to college in our state for undocumented youth who were brought here in their childhood. We know that the New York State DREAM Act helps the entire business community in Staten Island and in New York. We agree that access to financial aid, which is essential to managing the hefty price of that accompanies a higher education in today’s society, is a central part

of the DREAM Act.

Reform must ensure that the legal immigration system is sufficiently robust to meet the needs of the American economy, does not disadvantage native-born workers, and does not encourage waves of unauthorized immigration when job demand is high. It is essential therefore that reform protect the rights of all workers.

A central tenet of the reform must ensure the right to due process, a right too often denied our immigrants. The absence of due process in dealing with the nation’s undocumented is wholly against this country’s founding principles. The traditions of our justice-oriented democracy must restore those intrinsic rights that guard our nation’s people against unwarranted and unjust confinement and detention, or any practice that strips individuals of their right to full, unfettered due process.

To deny immigrants access to such basic and fundamental rights as the pursuit of happiness is to disregard the contributions that the undocumented have repeatedly made to their communities. The comprehensive immigration reform that is now long overdue must right the wrongs that have been perpetrated against our undocumented community. Comprehensive Immigration Reform is an investment in our country’s democratic system, economy, and society.

We, the undersigned, hereby affirm that our current immigration system is tragically flawed and broken, and urge your support for the New York State DREAM Act and Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephen Preskill

Kevin Ferreira

Dr. Lori Weintrob

Julia Zenker

Dr. Karen DeMoss

Patti McCaffrey

Dr. Margarita Sanchez

Samantha Siegel

Kevin Farrell