By Kaitlynn

My meal took place at my grandmother’s home in Bowling Green, KY. Although my hometown is Lexington, Bowling Green has always been a second home for me. My parents were both born and raised here, and graduated from Western Kentucky University together in 1992. My grandparents live here, as well. For as long as I can remember, my family has made many trips here to attend WKU games and to visit with family. To say that choosing WKU for college was easy is an understatement. So, doing my Kentucky Kitchen Table project here in Bowling Green was very easy, for it truly is like home.

At my dinner were myself, my boyfriend, Nate, my grandmother, Janet, and a girl who lives in my dorm building, Meredith. Nate is a very funny and kind person. He is nineteen years old. He loves to hunt and fish, basically anything that will get him outside. He grew up in Bardstown, KY, and attended a catholic private school. He is also intelligent, and is majoring in biology with a pre-med concentration. He is an amazing boyfriend and best friend. We met in the elevator of our dorm the first week of college. He is easy to talk to and fun to be around. Although we share many similarities, we have a lot of differences, too. Our religious practices vary slightly, and most of our political views differ. We were also raised in different homes and lifestyles. I enjoy getting to discuss our differences and our perspectives on various issues. Janet is the most selfless person I know. She would do anything and everything to help someone, especially her family. She is sixty-nine years old. Retired now, she was a nurse. She won the battle against breast cancer when I was a toddler. As I have grown up, I have become closer and closer to her. She is a Christian and she holds her faith near and dear to her heart. She considers herself an independent politically, and is always willing to hear many different perspectives and ideas. I know that if I ever need anything, I can call her. Meredith is also from Lexington, KY, but I never knew her until now. She has the same major as me, nursing, so we have several classes together. Although I don’t know her very well, I wanted to invite her to this dinner because she has always shown me kindness. She lifeguards during the summer, she attended an arts school in high school, and I learned that she loves reality TV shows as much as I do.

For dinner, I made mac-n-cheese, Nate made green beans, my grandmother bought chicken, and Meredith made brownies. When we got to my grandmother’s house, the table was set beautifully. I loved it. She even lit candles, which I never really do at dinner with my immediate family. I made that comment, and my grandma told me that she always lights candles at dinner, and even told me that my aunt and my dad would take turns each night lighting the candles. Meredith said that her family would always light candles at dinner too. Although something kind of random, I thought that story was cool to hear, and possibly something I wouldn’t have heard if we didn’t have this meal. It was interesting to hear the difference because that is something my usual dinners never have, but something that their dinners always have.

At the beginning of the meal, I started by asking what citizenship meant to everyone. We went around the table. Nate said to him, citizenship means being a good neighbor and preserving his culture. He also thinks that writing his politicians educating himself from multiple perspectives on current issues is a key part of being a good citizen. Janet’s citizenship means being active in her community. She said that when she was younger and had kids, it encouraged her to become even more involved, for her children were part of different sports and activities which in turn made her get involved. She also said that being a leader and supporting local organizations is important, as well as taking care of her neighbors. Another thing she believes is important to citizenship is following the law, for the laws are ultimately made to protect everyone. Meredith said she tries to be a good citizen by being involved in the community, too, like going to local events. She also thinks that listening to others with respect and gaining insight from others, from differing perspectives, can help you cooperate and agree with more of your fellow citizens. I agree with what everyone said, and I feel that all of that contributes to my citizenship, too. I added that being nice to our neighbors, just with a smile and wave, means a lot to me as a citizen. Especially in the dorms, I make an effort to just be friendly to the girls in my hall, because I know that I appreciate that too.

Nate asked next what social issue means the most to everyone and why. I began to discuss my social issue, the standing or kneeling for the pledge of allegiance. I am such a proud American, and I feel so lucky to be a citizen in this country. To sit or kneel for the national anthem, to me, I explained, shows disrespect for the people who fight for everything that the national anthem embodies. I also shared a story of a WKU football game my family and I attended. We have season tickets in front of an elderly couple. As opposed to us, they do not attend many games, and it is pretty clear why. The man is quite old and has a very difficult time getting around. My dad will often help him stand and sit from his seat. He is a veteran, and though he did not stand during the entire game, he would struggle to stand just for the pledge of allegiance. It always brought tears to me and my mother’s eyes. Meredith’s social issue was the lack of funding for the arts, especially the cuts to her arts program back in high school that are taking affect now. She discussed how much she enjoyed her high school and the impact it made on her, and shared her concerns with this lack of funding. This statement lead us to discussing the current pension issue. I learned that Meredith’s mom is actually a teacher, so she could personally relate to this. My aunt, Janet’s daughter, is also a teacher. I posed the question, “where should we cut money from?” because, of course, no one wants money cut from their department, job, sector, etc. Nate suggested the military, while Meredith explained that a student in her communications class thought hemp could be a solution. His family’s farm was allowed to grow it this year, causing both their farm and the government to make a great amount of money. It was interesting to get to talk about such a relevant issue.

A reoccurring theme in our conversation was the value of the most basic level of community, our neighborhoods. Despite the topic we would be discussing, we would somehow always get back to being a good neighbor and the neighbor that you would want to have. Being a good neighbor, to us, means being friendly and simply smiling and waving, and being there for them when need be. A good neighbor is involved in their community and is willing to help out when people are in need. I think this shows that the epitome of a good citizen is a good neighbor.

Another theme that was prevalent throughout our discussions was the diverse opinions and background each of us held, and yet the mutual respect for one another. Although we all came from varying hometowns, religions, political views, ages, genders, and more, we were able to find a lot of common ground by discussing things in this fashion. We made eye contact and listened to what each person was saying, and kept an open mind. We tried to see things from each others’ shoes, and considered varying beliefs even if they opposed your own.

I was reminded yet again that deliberation truly is one of the best, if not the single best, ways to discuss these controversial, wicked problems that the world faces. As Keith Melville in “How We Talk Matters” explains, talking matters because by communicating in a better way we are more apt to agreeing and make democracy work better. Deliberating fosters group discussions and helps decision-making. He writes, “public deliberation is useful when there is a discrepancy between what is happening to people and what they think should be happening—yet there is no agreement on what should be happening.” Our society faces so many issues like these, with no right or wrong solution that affects so many peoples’ lives. By deliberating with people, like we did at our dinner, we were able to be empathetic and see things from other perspectives while finding common ground. Though our dinner was not a proper deliberation like those we have in class, it was a civil discussion that allowed us all to share our personal experiences, our opinions, and areas where we shared common ground, despite our diverse backgrounds and core beliefs.

This relates to the class, for living better together and solving problems can be made a little easier by simply having a discussion, perhaps a dinner around a table in your hometown.

By Cristina

Unfamiliar faces surround me in a wicked world consumed by materialism and technology. Society buries its burdens and layers them with meaningless conclusions. Long-term solutions wither in despair. The roots of our community are parched and famished from no conversation. What once was a community is now a graveyard of lost democracy, identity, and empathy. All that surround me are faces. Faces that were once familiar, founded upon living flesh, but have now dried to cracked, brittle bones.

These cracked brittle bones form the skeleton of our society. The spine supports our foundation. Yet, our foundation lacks the flesh necessary to form a community. In the modern age, it is difficult to establish this community, as the second hand on the clock begins to tick faster and our minds begin to scatter. Numbers become blurred images and faces become placeless, losing their identity.

Gathered around the kitchen table, we could once find this sense of community. This historical event is marked in history books as being the bridge between where society is and where society wants to be. Under the bridge are the waters. If we cross the bridge and sit at the table, the waters will flood our bones and begin to bridge the divide between the citizen and the self.

To bridge the divide, I set up a Kentucky Kitchen Table, a gathering of people—friends, family, neighbors, and the like—around a meal at a kitchen table where ideas of citizenship and community are discussed. Around the table in Bowling Green Kentucky, cracked, brittle bones had individual identities. 7 diverse identities belonged to those, not including myself, named: Liz, Sarah, Jack, Dwayne, Ernie, Jess, and Melanie. Around the table, those identities were dissolved.

Liz is the daughter of Ernie and Melanie. Liz is a character like no other, devoting her time by volunteering at Curbside Ministries. Curbside Ministries is a Christian based organization that goes to underprivileged parts of Bowling Green, Kentucky with the mission of representing and showing Jesus’s love. Through volunteering at Curbside Ministries, Liz plays games and spends time with underprivileged children to establish bonds and show love. As she continues her volunteering through Curbside Ministries, Liz wants to further develop Bowling Green as a community that extends roots of empathy and compassion to all citizens no matter what demographic.

Sarah is a college freshman majoring in civil engineering. With her degree, she strives to work for the state and a private firm, and eventually continue her dad’s legacy by taking over his business. She is an individual who derives her character from her faith, Christianity. Through her faith in God, she develops and refines her morals and values. As a result, her religious identity positively grows her thoughts and her treatment of others around her.

Jack is a freshman at Western Kentucky University. He is majoring in wildlife biology. After obtaining his degree, he hopes to pursue his dream job as a park and recreation research biologist in order to better understand the environment and how society impacts it. If Jack could give one piece of advice to his neighbors, it would be to consider the impact our choices and decision not only have on our environment but also on other individuals; for, we have the ability to strengthen or weaken the fibers of the relationships we have with people around us.

Dwayne is an individual who is outgoing, determined, caring, and charitable. Dwayne recently changed his major to biochemistry. After obtaining his degree, Dwayne desires to go to medical school and become a pediatrician. Dwayne is charitable and has sympathy. Aiding children as a doctor reflects this quality. Dwayne strives to be the individual who is willing to lend a helping hand.

Ernie is reserved and down to earth. He has traditional values and values social reform. He is a General Manager at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). As a worker for TVA, Ernie supports their mission of providing regional environmental stewardship, reliable power, and economic development across seven states, specifically in Kentucky. Through employment at TVA, Ernie believes he is able to fulfill his role as a citizen, aiding others by the means of providing resources. Thus, his job relates to his role as a citizen.

Jess is also the daughter of Ernie and Melanie. Jess is a 7^th grader who dedicates her time and effort to her favorite sport, basketball. Jess has a fireball of a personality. Jess is defined by the stamina and determination she puts forth during games and practices. Jess values teamwork on and off the court, from carrying out a basketball play with her teammates to working together with her family. The value of teamwork is Jess’s favorite thing about her community as it has no geographical domain and can be found anywhere she is present.

Melanie is a “blessing,” according to Liz.  Melanie has an outgoing personality and loves the company of others. As a mom, Melanie not only provides nurture and love for her kids, she also volunteers as a CASA. CASA works to prevent child victims of abuse, neglect, and dependency from being abused both in and out of their family of origin. In addition, Melanie volunteers at Hope House in Bowling Green, Kentucky; Hope House is an organization with the mission to alleviate physical and spiritual poverty through gospel restoration. There, she teaches classes to teenagers with kids. By preventing abuse and alleviating poverty through her job, Melanie can serve a greater purpose—providing children and adolescents with an open door of hope.

At the kitchen table, 7 diverse identities cooked in a melting pot to form ideas about community and citizenship. In order to develop these ideas, a series of questions were asked. The central question during the dinner asked what citizenship meant to each person. Specifically, what citizenship means, beyond voting, paying taxes, and following laws. This question presented obstacles as there is no concrete definition of the word citizenship. Rather, citizenship is a word constructed upon a white pillar of values: the collective group, freedom, and respect. These ideas were discussed at the table.

Citizenship is not about the self; rather, it is about the individual working towards not only the betterment of society but also towards the betterment of individuals within that society. Citizenship is “you before me,”—the individual making the safety of others a priority over theirs. Citizenship means forming a collective group. When natural or manmade disasters strike the stone walls of our existence, it is the duty of citizens to form a group and provide aid and relief to victims of despair. However, citizenship means forming a collective group even when convenience is amiss.  When wicked problems are at a great distance from our foundation or when our journey begins in arduous terrain, it continues to be the duty of citizens to form a group. Ease is a deficit that weakens the group; with this, shortcuts to solutions become poisonous thorns. Individuals must learn that when thunder strikes and sets fire to the rain, the group must act.

As a citizen, one has an array of freedoms, such as the freedom of speech. These freedoms are what society affirms as their natural rights as citizens. Citizens have the natural right to articulate their values and morals. However, the freedom of speech may become inundated with hostility. At the dinner table, most individuals agreed that society is filled with hostility people have towards others. When an individual hears another’s person’s opinions they have three options: ignore, accept, or refute. Most individuals respectfully carry out these options; however, there remain a fraction of people who carry out these options through hostility. Hence, a lack of respect resonates. This further develops the definition of citizenship—the quality of being respectful, rather than hostile through discussion. Once, a person learns to respect another person’s opinions, people will begin to work together as a community to solve society’s wicked problems.

Gathered around the kitchen table, we have now found the lost sense of community. No longer is society buried under a thousand screams. Rather it is delivered as a thousand praises placing society where it had strived to be. We have taken up the oar of our ancestors to rediscover citizenship and traversed the waters under the bridge. We have crossed the bridge and sat at the table; the waters have flooded our bones and begun to bridge the divide between the citizen and the self.

I, as a citizen of society, have learned that citizenship is more than its dictionary denotation. Citizenship possesses a connotation that differentiates it from other words. Citizenship is formed from a collective group that consists of diverse identities, morals, and values. Citizenship is molded as a cast of freedom and respect for the very values on which it protects. We pick up the shovels and dig a grave for hostility. The tombstone is inscribed with a farewell to relics of old memories.

If we examine the word citizenship and redefine what it means to be a citizen within a community, we will have addressed a probing question, “How can we solve our problems?”  As Martha Nussbaum proclaims in her chapter, “Citizens of the World,” in Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities: “The problems we need to solve—economic, environmental, religious, and political—are global in their scope. They have no hope of being solved unless people once distant come together and cooperate in ways they have not before.” It is imperative to regard Nussbaum’s words as words of wisdom and truth. When we examine the word citizenship, we have learned it is more than tangible voting, paying taxes, and following laws. Citizenship is intangible at its core. It is a thread of our identity. If we take a needle and sew the gap of hostility and act through deliberation, we will produce a garden of solutions to our wicked problems.

A Kentucky Kitchen Table is not a dreaded project, but rather a collective group of individuals gathering about a brown, cedar table in a crisp fall to discuss citizenship and community while eating a warm meal. Around this table, the cracked, brittle bones belonging to diverse identities—Liz, Sarah, Jack, Dwayne, Ernie, Jess, and Melanie—flourished with conversation and blossomed with white flowers of hope. Unfamiliar faces became familiar.

By Chloe

The Kentucky Kitchen table project seemed like it would be just another thing to add my to-do list. However, once I actually allowed myself an open mind and started to speak with my lunch guests I slowly become fond of the project. I did not know a few of the members of our meal, but quickly came to realize they were great people. We were able to speak about things that wouldn’t usually be brought up in normal conversation which allowed me to learn things about everyone that I didn’t already know. Because everyone had different backgrounds and future plans, I was able to see new perspectives on issues I thought I already knew all about. I feel like even after one meal together I have started a friendship with those that I had never met. These types of conversations and meals are important to expose yourself and your families to regularly so that you are open to new perspectives on everyday topics.

The meal took place here in Bowling Green. We ate around the kitchen table in my close friend, Jessie’s, apartment. I brought along my roommate and Jessie invited her two roommates who I had never met to the meal. Jessie is a graphic design major from Kentucky. She is interested in any form of art and has a true passion for visuals. She is also a dedicated women’s soccer fan and dedicates her time toward sports. While from a conservative, southern family she tends to be on the more liberal sides of political views. My roommate, Madeline is a conservative, Southern Baptist young woman who works hard in pursuing her goals of working in the medical field. Ashley comes from a close-knit family Western Kentucky. She is a psychological sciences major who spends time working in a lab. She is a Kappa Delta alumnae and is working on her master’s degree. Brooke has just started the nursing program here at WKU and spends her free time invested in sports. She comes from a busy family in Mississippi. I, Chloe, am striving towards becoming a nurse practitioner while being involved at WKU as much as possible: including being a member of Alpha Delta Pi. I am from a small, close knit community in Western Kentucky and have equally conservative and liberal views on political issues.

We started our actual discussion with the required question: beyond voting, paying taxes, and following laws what does citizenship mean to you? At first, none of us really knew how to answer this question. We are told all of our lives to be involved by voting, but that’s about it. Personally, I think that speaking up on and acting on issues you’re passionate about is a huge part of citizenship. We all agreed that, unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen as often as it should. It became obvious we all had the same main point: contribute to the air. Being someone and contributing meaningful things to your community and making changes for things you feel strongly about is something we all should do. Being the person who votes and follows laws but does nothing more than this isn’t truly a citizen at all, but really just a “filler”. The last thing we discussed about what it means to be a citizen is that it is important to leave something behind. Most of us agreed that as working people we strive to achieve great things and make change along the way. Without these marks and achievements left behind we would feel as though we hadn’t contributed our part to the world.

Eating dinner as a family was one of the biggest differences we had as a group. While myself, Brooke, and Madeline had never had the chance for uninterrupted nightly family dinners due to busy schedules, Ashley and Jessie always had dinner as a family. Ashley explained that this was often the one time that her whole family was together and able to catch up with the weekly events and how everything was going. She stressed that some of their best family moments came from these important, uninterrupted dinners and that she hopes to be able to do this with her family in the future. While the majority did not participate in family dinners, we engaged in family activities in other ways. Most of the family time we had was centered around sporting events or after school activities. These evets brought us closer as a family, but we lacked the undivided attention to each other that Jessie and Ashley got during their family meals.

One thing that most of us all had in common was our views on how to improve our lives with our neighbors. Jessie, Ashley, and Brooke often experience inconsiderate treatment form those that live near them and have taken these experiences to heart. Because of their constant frustration with their neighbors they constantly work to make sure they are the neighbors they want to be towards others. They have been unable to truly get to know their neighbors because of their differences but they felt like if they had a personal relationship with them things might be better. Madeline and I know the girls who live around us and have become friends rather quickly. We are all respectful of each other and consider their best interest because of this trusting friendship. The unanimous decision we made on how to live better alongside our neighbors is to treat others how we want to be treated. If their inconsiderate neighbors thought about this they would work harder to reduce disturbances and could then maybe spark a relationship with each other.

Through this discussion over a nice meal, I learned more than I realized. I learned that at the end of the day, regardless of where your come from or what your political views are, we all want the same thing. We all want to get along and get the most out of our lives in the best way possible. This is much easier said than done when dealing with busy family schedules and rude neighbors. I learned that when there is conflict between two groups of people, it cannot get any better without communication or the consideration of others situation. Jessie, Ashley, and Brookes neighbors will never change their behavior unless the other perspective. This could be fixed through a simple conversation explaining how this upsets them, but the conversation will never happen because of fear of confrontation. On another note, I learned what it is like to have a sit-down meal with friends. I was never able to have the experience of a discussion with family and friends over a meal and this experience has taught me how unique it is. It is more personal than a car ride with family or spending time with family at sporting events. I was able to see into each person’s life and what was important to them based on what they spoke about. Instantly we became closer because of sharing personal anecdotes and preferences and our hopes for the future. Not all of us agreed on everything, but that was okay. In a way, it made us more interesting and more real. We are all different but we work together so well to fit into the perfect puzzle.

The things I learned from this assignment fit perfectly into what I have learned in class. Many of the things I learned were about how to live well with others, one of our central class ideas. In class, we learn through discussion and readings that living with others isn’t all about you. We learn in “How We Talk Matters” that we often think that it’s “us versus them” but in reality, we are all us. This is often a forgotten concept; I myself forgot this concept. It came to us as such a clear solution to treat others how we wanted to be treated, so why can’t we do just that? It is hard to see both sides of a situation but it is one of the most important things we can do as citizens. Another central idea that this has related to is how we can have more say over our lives. To be a more involved citizen and make a change in our community is an active step in changing your own life for the better. To have more say over your life you must do more than simply vote and follow laws. Like we discussed during our meal, you have to actively work to achieve a goal or make a change. I learned plenty of things while eating dinner at a kitchen table and conversing with people who weren’t exactly like me. One of the most important things I learned was that I enjoyed myself and that keeping an open mind about people could open the door to new, great relationships down the road. Discussions and the exchanging of ideas and opinions in a respectful environment should be something that everyone has access to. This is something I have learned a lot form and that I hope I can continue throughout my life and introduce to others.