conversation

KY Kitchen Table

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Kaitlyn and I held our Kentucky kitchen table project here in Bowling Green. A sorority sister’s mother graciously offered her home and kitchen table for our discussion if we all agreed to each bring a dish to contribute to the meal. I made the shredded steak and banana pepper mix that is pictured in the beige bowl. Kaitlyn made macaroni and cheese. Three Kappa Delta’s together made the rolls and brought cheese slices. Three Alpha Omicron Pi’s brought a vegetable and cheese plate. The mother made pumpkin cheesecake brownies, which were in the oven baking when the photo below was taken.

           


Kaitlyn and I each invited three of our own sorority sisters to attend the event. The host of the dinner, Kelly, and her youngest daughter, Allison, were also present at the dinner. In total we had eight guests to eat and talk with. Kelly is the mother of my Kappa Delta sister, Caroline. She offered to host our dinner. Kelly is in her fifties and currently works as a pharmacist at a locally owned pharmacy in Bowling Green. Kelly is a WKU alumna. She identifies as Christian, but nondenominational, and as a Democrat. She is originally from Harlan County, which is a very poor county in Eastern Kentucky. She grew up extremely poor and was a first generation college student.

Allison is currently a junior in High School. She grew up in a middle class family in Bowling Green, KY. She is not old enough to be a registered voter and has yet to decide which political party she will register with. She also said she is currently discovering her faith and hopes to explore many different denominations in college that she was not exposed to in high school. She has not decided what career path she wants to take or where to attend college. Allison’s input in the conversation was particularly interesting because she is very open-minded and is not confined to social labels and groups that many others attribute to themselves.

I invited three Kappa Delta’s that Kaitlyn had never met before: Caroline, Madison, and Christa. Caroline is Kelly’s oldest daughter. She is a junior at WKU and within the Honors College, and she is double majoring in biology and psychology with a pre-physician’s assistant concentration. She identifies as having independent political beliefs—she describes herself as having liberal social beliefs but conservative beliefs regarding government policies. She grew up in a middle class family in Bowling Green, KY and identifies as a Christian and says her beliefs most closely align with the Presbyterian denomination.

Madison is a sophomore in the Honors College and is studying finance and accounting. She is from Northern Kentucky. Madison would describe her family as lower class, and she uses her residual check from the university to pay for her sorority dues. She identifies with the Democratic political party and defines herself as being more spiritual than religious.

Christa is a freshman in the Honors College majoring in biology. She is from Louisville and describes her family as upper class. She is very strong in her Catholic faith and is a registered Republican. Christa describes herself as very conservative.

Kaitlyn also brought three of her sorority sisters, whom I had never met before: Brittney, Haleigh, and Sarah. Brittney is a senior and is from Versailles. She describes her socioeconomic status as upper middle class. She is majoring in social work. She identifies with the Republican political party and is a Southern Baptist.

Haleigh is a senior and is from Glasgow, KY. She describes her family as upper class. She is currently applying to law schools. She identifies with the Republican Party and is a member of a Church of Christ.

Sarah is a junior from Franklin, KY. She describes her socioeconomic status as lower middle class. She is studying elementary education. She considers herself to be Christian, but nondenominational, and a Democrat.

All together, I feel that we achieved diversity in our group. Nearly half of our group was Democrat, while the other half was Republican. The majority of our group identified as Christian, but many denominations and views were represented. We had a wide range of hometowns and socioeconomic statuses represented. Some individuals were from larger cities while some were from very rural areas. The majority of the dinner guests considered themselves to be middle class but there were a few who considered themselves upper class or lower class, and they talked openly about that experience. We also had generational diversity. The host of the dinner offered a different outlook that many of us millennials did not readily see. Also, having the younger sister there was also interesting because she has yet to explore society on her own. Each of these different facets and experiences that make up our individual identities help to shape our views and opinions on different social issues.

Before we started the conversation, Kaitlyn and I first introduced the project to them and the goal of our dinner. We also laid down guidelines for discussion, much as we would in class before a deliberation. These were very simple and helped to make sure that the conversation was productive and respectful to all opinions. Some simple guidelines we requested that would be followed were 1. We would all remain respectful of others’ opinions and beliefs, 2. No one would be required to share if they felt uncomfortable doing so, and 3. We reserved the right to change the topic of conversation if we felt that the conversation was deteriorating and was no longer productive. Thankfully, everyone was very respectful the entire dinner, and we never had to enforce these rules. However, I did think that the rules set a nice precedent that this conversation was to be taken seriously.

We opened the conversation with the question “Beyond voting, paying taxes, and following laws, what does citizenship mean to you?” There were varied answers among everyone, but the common thread of most of the answers was linked to the answer that being a citizen means having respect and compassion for your fellow man. A good citizen does complete all of the typical duties that we traditionally think of, but a good citizen also goes out of their way to help their community and to get to know their neighbors and the needs of their neighbors. Many girls did attribute this line of thinking to their Christian faith. Their desire to help their fellow man stemmed directly from what they think Christ would do and what He would want from us. I then posed the question, how far does that radius of support extend? Do we think of ourselves more as local or global citizens? It was interesting because individuals from rural communities, like Madison and Haleigh, identified more as local citizens and had more personal connections to their neighbors and communities, while individuals from larger cities, like Christa and Allison, identified their citizenship as having more of a reach, to a national and even global level, but struggled naming some of their close neighbors. It also appeared that individuals who had global exposure through mission work or study abroad were more likely to consider themselves global citizens. Sarah recently spent time in Haiti doing mission work and shared how that experience helped to put her personal identity into perspective. She strongly believes in being an active global citizen and that so long as we all occupy the same Earth, we have a responsibility to try to help others when we have the power to do so.

We had the dinner the week before the presidential election, so inevitably the presidential election came up in conversation. The varying political beliefs allowed for a rich debate on the topic of candidates, however we tried to instead focus on what we each personally wanted our country to look like and how we wanted it to function and which candidate could accomplish those things. This was a particularly difficult conversation because many of us had different picturesque images of America. Christa, being very conservative, had a vastly different idea of what she wanted her country to like in the next four years than Caroline did, who was very concerned with the expansion of rights for all citizens, regardless of race, sexual orientation, etc. We could not reach a consensus on what this country needed and who was the best to do that. We then discussed just how hard it is to achieve a better America when the country is so divided on what that direction should be? Will we ever truly have a united country? While most of the college-aged women were stressed by this idea that our country would be permanently divided, Kelly tried to ease our fears. She said there had been very nasty elections before and times when America was starkly divided but yet the country had endured. Our conversation consisted of many topics and lasted for nearly two hours, but I have chosen to highlight the topics that impacted me the most.

Through these conversations, I learned not to make assumptions about individuals’ beliefs and opinions. From afar, the group that was gathered for dinner appeared homogenous: mostly Caucasian young women. I had assumed that we would mostly all be in agreement on most of the questions. However, after actually getting to talk with each of these women, I learned how vastly different we all were from each other and how different our views were. We never reached an agreement on any topic that we discussed. Every woman strongly supported her opinion and was respectful to others’ views but was usually not wavering in her own response.

I also learned that an act of citizenship might be to simply talk about the issues that we are all facing. This dinner and this class have illustrated to me how powerful conversation and deliberation can be. Each woman brought their own opinion and facts that they knew about certain social issues and these were able to act as a supplement to the knowledge I knew on an issue and challenged my own opinions. Discussion promotes critical thinking and civic engagement. I left that dinner feeling like I knew each woman fairly well because we had a real and meaningful conversation.

I feel that this conversation was how deliberation should be. We were all very receptive and respectful. This directly correlates to one of our central questions, “How do we live better together?” To live better together, I believe that we have to be accepting of differences and must be willing to hear the other side of an argument. I also feel that we must realize that our own idealistic image of what this country should be is not always someone else’s and that we must all, as individuals, be willing to compromise to achieve what is best for the whole nation. This relates best to the reading by Melville, “How We Talk Matters” and specifically to the quote “It’s not us versus them. We’re all us.” This is something that I think our country truly needs to keep in mind in such a trying time. This reading also states that democracy starts in “exchanges that take place over dinner tables.” If politicians were able to sit around their own kitchen table and listened, just as much as they talked, we may have a more effective and unified government. Overall, I truly enjoyed this assignment. This assignment and this course have made me feel more connected to my fellow man and has made me see that I do need to take ownership of my own actions and what role I can play in alleviating social issues.

Kentucky Kitchen Table in Bowling Green

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By Megan

When I first heard about the Kentucky Kitchen Table I knew that I wanted to host a meal in my home, but as the meal got closer, I became very nervous and apprehensive to share my home and my parents with individuals that I barely knew. I was accompanied by five individuals from very different backgrounds with differing views. The first guest at my kitchen table was my roommate and close friend, Lyn Dawsyn, who grew up in Glasgow, Kentucky and is also a freshman in the Honors College. Lyn Dawsyn is typically quieter in group settings; however, when she did speak during our discussion, she always made insightful and profound statements. Her love for politics and unconditional compassion for others truly enriched our discussion. Next was Hannah whose experiences growing up in a larger city like Louisville, Kentucky and attending an all-girl private school allowed her to contribute numerous well-thought out and valuable insights to our discussion. Next was Scott who also grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and is very independent and firm in his beliefs, yet open to hearing the opinions and perspectives of others. Scott was the individual at the table who I knew the least. The final two individuals at my Kentucky Kitchen Table were my parents, David and Tami. David has lived in and around Bowling Green his entire life and currently works as an Engineering Specialist for Medical Center Health (formerly Commonwealth Health Corporation). David enjoys sharing stories about his countless experiences and lessons learned thus far. Although I thought I had heard every story he had to tell over the last eighteen years, my dad shared stories during our dinner about his time in the Army that I had never heard, which was perhaps one of my favorite parts about this project. The final person seated at my kitchen table, my mom Tami, undoubtedly put in more work than anyone else leading up to the meal, which truly exemplifies her unconditional selflessness. Tami is a Certified Credit Specialist who also works for Medical Center Health. She is much less outspoken compared to David but still contributed numerous valuable comments to our discussion.

After everyone had filled their plates with delicious home-cooked food, we began our discussion by going around the table and sharing our opinions on what makes us all citizens and our responsibilities as citizens beyond those you typically learn about in school (voting, taxes, etc.). I was pleasantly surprised that we came to the unanimous decision that above all else, being kind to others and doing your part to be a genuinely good person to the people around you was the best way to be a better citizen. If each one of us made it our responsibility to be a good person, the dynamics in our communities would change drastically.

The next topic that we discussed was whether or not our jobs play a role in bettering the community. Because only two of the six people had true occupations, the students at the table answered the question based on the careers that we hope to have someday. Each of the young adults seated at the table had driven intentions of making a small difference or change in the field that they hope to enter. Lyn Dawsyn wanted to change the nature of political campaigns and advertising as a whole while Hannah wanted to change the nature of the media and how news is portrayed. Scott and I both plan to enter healthcare fields, and we are both largely aware of the impact that each individual interaction that we have with a patient, especially a child, could change the way that they view healthcare professionals as well as improve their mood or how the rest of their day goes despite their illness or disability.  David and Tami also expressed genuine desires to treat everyone with compassion and respect in the workplace regardless of how they treat you, their position or title, or how bad of a day you are having. After dinner, Hannah and I both decided that this discussion in particular reminded us of one of the central questions we are focusing on in this course: How do we live well together? I also personally related the way that each of us answered this question to the fact that the first step in crossing the theoretical bridge from how we currently live to how we want to live better together is to recognize the part that every single individual holds in making a difference in how individuals in a community live together. If everyone was conscious of how they interacted with the people that they encounter, we could begin to live better together.

Relationships and interactions with our neighbors was the next topic that we discussed, and it was a particularly nostalgic subject for my parents and I as a majority of the neighbors that we had when I was growing up have recently moved away in the last few years. Nearly everyone at the table expressed the same sentiment that they felt much closer and had more interactions with their neighbors during childhood compared to now, which may be a result of the technology that we now fill our free time with. Tami pointed out that in addition to the advances in technology that have led to a reluctance in spending time outdoors and interacting with neighbors, a lack of trust and willingness to be vulnerable amongst strangers has also greatly contributed to a change in how we interact with our neighbors.

Because my Kentucky Kitchen Table took place the week before Election Day, and we had become seemingly comfortable with each other, our conversation then shifted to a more controversial topic: the impending election. To ease into the topic and not enter directly into discussing specific candidates, Hannah asked what advice each of us would give to someone running for a political office. My parents and I have had this conversation multiple times over the last few months, so immediately my dad mentioned how although it is a tricky (AKA wicked) problem, he wishes there was a way to require the President of the United States to have some form of military experience or background because he/she is given the task of being the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. This epistemological knowledge of how the armed forces operates would be valuable because the decisions made by the Commander in Chief impact the actual lives of millions of Americans more so than many other decisions that the President makes that may impact Americans’ livelihoods like taxes, healthcare, etc. I also stated that I feel the President should be business-minded rather than politically minded yet still be experienced enough to understand how to make decisions for an entire nation. I think a business-minded candidate is necessary because “corruption” is so prominent in politics and improving our economy and international relations are extremely important to the current state of our nation. Overall, everyone at the table agreed that although it was difficult to choose a candidate based on character in this election and one cannot base their vote solely on character, ideally a candidate for a political office would be level-headed, respectable, generally trustworthy, and considerate of all races, backgrounds, and economic classes while also being well-qualified for the position.

In summation, the greatest thing that I took away from my Kentucky Kitchen Table project was that our campus, hometowns, nation, and world do not necessarily need drastic and radical changes in order to improve. I left the dinner comforted by the thought that if each individual is willing to give compassion and strive to receive respect from everyone they come in contact with, numerous problems that we identified throughout the night could be resolved. I strongly believe that every individual sitting around my kitchen table that night greatly benefited from this project. My parents have not stopped talking about how much they enjoyed hosting this project in our home and how renewed their faith is in my generation. I have eaten dinner around the same table nearly every night for the last eighteen years, and I believe undoubtedly that the night of my Kentucky Kitchen Table project was possibly the greatest experience I have had sitting at that table.

Kentucky Kitchen Table: A Dinner Fit For Kings

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By Hayley

I decided to travel to my hometown, Lebanon, TN, for this assignment, strongly because a home cooked meal from my grandmother was calling my name. She insisted on cookin’ up all of the fixings; if it was a southern staple food, she had it!

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Along with my parents Julie and Johnny, my grandparents, Haywood and Norma Jean, invited their new neighbors to come over. Ken, Celeste, Elan, Matthew, and Ian Barry recently moved from Asheville, North Carolina to my home town, Lebanon, Tennessee. Ken is a civil engineer and his wife, Celeste, is a geologist. Matthew and Ian attend the local high school and Elan is a student at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville. As you can tell, it was game day. Go Vols!

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Having never met them before and knowing how knowledgeable my grandfather is, I knew that I was in for a treat. My grandfather is extremely involved in the community. If you looked up “active citizen” in the dictionary, a picture of him would be on the page. After being a successful lawyer for decades, he became a judge while serving on the town’s city council. At the age of 80, he is currently serving his fourth term as city circuit judge. To say the least, he is my hero, so I knew that he would have some admirable insight.

I started with the question, “What does citizenship mean to you?” After some shared chuckles over how open-ended and broad the question was, everyone simultaneously chimed in on their thoughts. Being all-inclusive was a reoccurring answer, being a good neighbor, standing for the National Anthem, and most importantly be civically engaged. My grandpa went on to say “it’s not all government that runs the world,” which is a unique thought to process. Another unique point that I wouldn’t normally think of was being involved with others in your profession to help make advancements. This came from the father of the new neighbors, the civil engineer, who helps maintain safe waterways.

The next question that I asked was “What kind of community do you want to live in?” The first thing that came out of about half of their mouths was a peaceful community. My grandpa then went on to explain that good law enforcement is crucial. It’s equally crucial that the law enforcement polices in a community balance. The next topic of discussion was being eco-friendly. Things as simple as keeping up with your own trash and making sure you don’t litter will not only help the environment, but also saves clean up money for tax payers. Also, my mom added in to not waste water or electricity, in other words be a “peaceful conserving community.” Another huge topic was having opportunities available. Coming from a pretty diverse community, I have witnessed first hand some races having more opportunities than others which goes back to being all-inclusive. A big facet of opportunities is opportunities in education and careers, which is definitely something that my community is lacking. I also asked “What advice would you give to people running for office in our country?” Of course my mom initially said “run,” which really sparked some laughter. After a lull my soft-spoken grandmother spoke up and said to make sure you have a clean past, which is sadly the driving factor. Some more responses were to assume the attitude that you don’t know it all, but you are willing to learn. This really struck a chord with me. I think that that one phrase applies to anything that you will ever do, especially when it pertains to being a citizen. I might make that my mantra. My grandfather also mentioned that it is important that you can work with/get along with both democrats and republicans-something that he has definitely ran into with his past political career.

The last question that I asked was “What social issue is closest to your heart and why?” The one that stuck out to me and that I was not fully aware of was drug abuse. My grandfather said that he sees more people in court driving under the influence of drugs-not alcohol. The answer for all of these cases is not incarceration. That opens up a whole new can of worms that I won’t dive into now, but it’s a pertinent issue. Communities need more treatment facilities because jail is the last place to cure people of their drug habits. I guess that I didn’t realize this issue was to relevant at such a local level. Some more social issue that were discussed briefly was climate change and employment. Regarding climate change, it was said that “we are the cause of the problem,” and we need to take initiatives to help preserve the earth. Employment was definitely stressed as an important issue. We need to bring jobs to people in suffering areas such as Eastern Kentucky, for example. Ever since the coal mining industry left, so many civilians have suffered financially because they don’t have the means/the drive to go find a different job. It seems like we could provide incentives to people moving to cities like Louisville or Lexington to get jobs. Shortly after this conversation, everyone finished up dinner. I definitely learned a lot about my family’s (and strangers) opinions on being a citizen, living in a healthy community, and social issues.

Kentucky Kitchen Table: An American Staple

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By Nathan

The Setting

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Stanton, Kentucky, a small town nestled at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.  My family had just arrived at our home after attending our small church, in which we are currently making decisions of whether or not we want to remain in the specific denomination that we himg_3385ave been in for the past century or so, due to the very liberal approach the denomination is now taking.

We come in to our kitchen and decide the final details of our meal.  We decide to open up the dining room, which is typically only used for holiday or birthday meals.  We have invited a family who has recently moved into our community, though they have been involved in our community for over a decade.  We prepared a cookout style meal, with both families providing fresh vegetables for the burgers.

We casually sit around the table in no particular order.  One of my best friends, Zach, sits next to my older brother Matt.  They are both in college at different universities, one large and one small.  My father, Troy, sits next to Zach.  Troy is well-known in our community, being practically everyoIMG_3390.jpgne’s doctor, though he is only a physician’s assistant.  On the other side of the table, my mother, Deana, sits next to Martina, who is a guidance counselor at our town’s only high school.  Deana used to be a physical therapist, but is now working in the school system.  Rick sits next to his wife, Martina.  Rick was formerly working in a factory as a manager, but is now in the Alternative School, teaching kids who were removed from the high school and middle school.  He is also a coach for the high school football team.  The room was open, the lighting was natural, and the conversation came in the same way.

The Meal

My goodness, it was a good meal.

Citizenship

I began the conversation by asking what citizenship means to them, beyond voting and paying taxes.  This mostly garnered the same general response: being a citizen is giving back to the community, helping the community in a way that you see it necessary.  Rick said that people some of the people he works with don’t have any sense of duty or responsibility. They feel like the government is there to support them.  People sometimes live with the mindset of doing what you need to get by, and forgo being a productive member of society.  Troy mentioned that there are generally two basic types of people in a community, people who contribute and people who take, meaning that some people consciously put time and money into the community while others sit back and reap the rewards.  With that in mind, though, we all take away from what communities offer, whether it is intentional or not.  Kids going through school are taking away, usually without giving their fair share back.  Anyone who lives in the protection of the military is taking from society.  With these in mind, Matt adds that it is then your duty as a citizen to give back.

Careers

My next question dealt with their careers, and whether the desire to be a citizen impacted that career path.  Martina claimed that she always wanted to teach, to help people and to give to people.  She saw that becoming a counselor would maximize her potential to give to a community, but she never imagined how rewarding that profession would be for her.  She sees every type of student, from first-time college students to first-time high school graduates, and having a touch on people’s lives in that sense is the rewarding part. *8:30*

Rick then told a winding story of his career path.  Basically, he began in a factory in his hometown.  The factory was very family-oriented, making sure that priorities were kept straight, and that workers were being treated right.  For this reason, he loved the company.  Eventually, his company was bought by a bank, and as most banks are, the bank was very money-motivated.  The company he once loved lost sight of the values it was built upon, and the work was draining; the only thing that mattered was profit.  Eventually, Rick left and went back to school in search of making a difference.  He became a teacher, and now works with kids that have had disciplinary issue.  Here, he is able to have a direct influence on the kids that may need it the most.

Troy and Deana both added that any job could be turned into serving the public, if you make a conscious effort to do so.  Their thought was that if you focus your job on providing for people that need the work to provide for their families, then you could see a factory job (such as Rick’s) as serving the community through providing opportunity.  Reflecting on that outlook, though, a self-centered attitude in a role that should contribute heavily to the community could have a reverse effect and negatively impact the people it touches (think a teacher who doesn’t invest in students).  Thus, we somewhat concluded that any job can have social impact with a certain context, though there are some careers where you can have a much larger impact on the future generation.

Community

I asked the table if they would rather live in place that had a focus on family or community.  Most people responded that they would rather have communities building each other up as a whole than serving their own family first, which is very interesting.  There are several takes on how you could answer this question, an infinite number of variables as well as an infinite amount of outcomes.  One way to look at it is if you, as a parent, build up a community as your primary focus, your family will learn from your example.  At the same time, you do not want to neglect your family.  We did not go deep into this conversation at the table, but the influences were felt throughout the remainder of the meal.

Extracurricular

I recalled a story we read about in class about the Shipyard Project.  As the northeastern town was split between an artistic community and a blue-collar community, ours is split by drug abuse.  Statistically, Powell County is one of the worst counties in the state for drug abuse of all kinds in one of the worst states in the nation for drug abuse.  We have a problem, and you can see the effects on our community as a whole.  Rick, Martina and Deana are all working in the school system, Troy works closely with all the students (especially athletes) and Zach, Matt and I have all been through the school system in the past 3 years.  We all agreed that there is a split in the community, and the school.  I specifically asked Rick, since he is the head football coach’s right-hand man, if he thought football serves as a joining activity in a way similar to how the Shipyard Dance unified that community.  He said he saw potential for it, but doesn’t see that yet.  Kids are greatly affected by their parent’s participation.  Though transportation can be provided for students who wish to participate, it is difficult, and often there’s no motivation from the students.

For the students who do get involved, though, the results are spectacular.  Martina tells of an after-school Zumba program that she dabbled in last year, saying that several students really enjoyed the activity and looked forward to Zumba.  Most of these kids are kids that otherwise are not involved in any activities outside of academics.  I also brought up our high school’s soccer team, which has been started within the past 4 years and is already competing for regional championships.  Of the 40 kids on the team, soccer is the only extracurricular activity that 26 of them participate in.   On the subject of new start-ups, Martina brings up several new clubs in the school, like Card Club and FCCLA.  As a counselor, she sees that kids long to be a part of something, some kind of community that they can really dive into and find an identity in.

Closing

As a final question, I asked if the members at the table grew up having family dinners around the table.  Deana grew up always eating together, as she lived within yards of her extended family.  She also finally admitted that she, too, preferred Kraft Mac & Cheese over her grandma’s homemade macaroni.  Martina said her family made it a point to eat together at home every night, maybe getting a burger from a local joint and taking it home once a month.  Rick grew up on a farm with all of his aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great-grandparents.  Every day, they would all work on the farm, congregate in a house for lunch and then meet in a different one for dinner.  Troy was much like Zach, Matt and myself, in that we were always busy, resulting in plenty of dinners with our brothers but not necessarily with parents during sports seasons, resulting in an amazing bond between the brothers.  The ones who grew up eating meals with their families recollect extraordinary memories from the systematic tradition.  Deana says that you never know how special it is to have dinner around a table with your family.  We decided after the meal was finished to have dinner together more often.

Reflections

I look back on my own memories, growing up at the high school football field with my brothers, having our own feasts around a table at China Wok.  We had always had our meals at home from the good doings of mother.  On Monday nights, Ma would feed us.  It never failed that we would surely either have a breakfast-dinner or a pot roast with potatoes and carrots.  Some of my fondest memories came centered around food.  I find it odd how much of a staple in American culture food has become, it seems like we have holidays just for food.  It does something amazing for us, as families and as groups.  People come together to provide an essential of life, providing for one another.  There is a certain kind of service, yet in some situations it can become a competition between cooks.  For some reason, when we gather around a table to eat more than we should, and we open up.  Being at the table, we listen to each other, we acknowledge one another in a way that is nearly impossible in our daily routines.  Maybe simply being around the table with people outside of just our families would help us understand our world better, thus helping our society get where we want to go.  We could understand how to bridge the gaps in our community, we just need to sit together and open up.

Real Food

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By Caroline

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In November, I went to my friend Allie’s house in Bowling Green to talk to her family and some family friends about democracy and their role in today’s world. Our table consisted of Trent, Allie’s dad, who works in sales, is strongly opinionated, and is good at persuading others; Lee, Allie’s mom, who works at a church in Bowling Green and is very nurturing and accepting; Becky, a family friend, who works in the business world and is quiet and compassionate; Ed, Becky’s husband, who is a high school English teacher and is very passionate and involved; and myself & Allie, both freshmen in the Honors College at Western Kentucky University. I am studying public relations and she is studying middle grade education. I was the only one from outside of Bowling Green; I’m from Louisville.

We had green beans, mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, rolls, and salad, with angel cake, ice cream, and caramel sauce for dessert. This has by far been the best food I have had since I have been here. It was something I eat frequently at home, and I was so excited for this meal. Allie’s mom even packed us some to take back to our dorms and I am still so grateful.

We started the conversation by asking beyond voting, paying taxes, and following laws, what does citizenship mean to you? The answer started generically, suggesting that as citizens we must attempt to do the morally right and kind thing, but grew more specific with examples. Becky and Lee explained a project their church leads each year with Room In the Inn, a homeless shelter in Bowling Green. The members of the church offer their time and resources to the shelter in the winter months, learning a lot about themselves as well as the people around them. They explained that this project helps them earn to be more accepting of others and not being quick to judge.

Room In the Inn has allowed them to build relationships with the people at the shelter; one in particular, Ernest. Becky explained that through Room In the Inn, some of the people who volunteered were able to get Ernest a job at the White Squirrel Brewery in Bowling Green as a dishwasher. Although this didn’t seem like much, it has allowed Ernest to build those connections with the White Squirrel employer, as well as customers that come through. This also allowed him to save money to go to a home or apartment of his own, instead of staying at the Room In the Inn shelter.

Our next question was what do you think are the best things about our world today? The answer that was most prominent was technology, but was discussed in two different ways: science technology and more social media type technology. Trent was more so impressed with the advancements in medicine. He felt as though the way we understand our world in a more scientific way has grew tremendously. On a slightly different note, Lee felt as though the way social media has grown over the past years has made us a smaller community, making it easier to communicate and understand one another. She explained that even though we feel more connected to one another, we still have some work to do when it comes to better understanding and accepting others.

Our third question was what is the thing you love most about living where you do? Becky said she enjoyed the fact that Bowling Green was big enough to where there is always something to do; there’s always new things to explore and people to talk to. But, she also enjoyed that it was small enough to be involved in the community and know a good amount of people around her. Ed enjoyed that the economy would always be stable here to an extent. He explained that the Corvette plant always offers jobs because there will almost always be people who buy those cars.

Our next question was do you see your job as serving a greater purpose? Ed responded quickly with yes because he is a teacher and he influences younger minds everyday. Lee also agreed, since she works at a church, she feels good about being able to serve others. The table agreed that Ed had the upper hand in serving a greater purpose, as they felt as though the influence he had on future generations was much stronger.

The next question we asked was what advice would you give to people running for office in our country? We felt like this was a very appropriate and very relevant questions, as the presidential election was less than a week away. The answers started simple and not very political. Be nice. Be a respectful person. Lee explained that we have strayed away from basic kindness towards one another, especially in the past few debates. She explained that rather than picking out what the opponent is doing wrong or tearing down their character, they should building upon the policies they want to implement. Ed wished that people running for office today be a statesman, not a politician. He feels as though the people running need to do this for the people and for the better of the community or group he/she is representing, not solely for a career or focused on reelection, and wants power brought back to the states. Trent thought those running should be informed before being opinionated. This was something the whole table agreed upon for the general population, but especially for those running for office.

The final question we asked was what social issue is closest to your heart and why? Becky answered first with animal abuse. She explained there’s no reason to abuse animals, as they can’t defend themselves and aren’t doing tremendous amount of harm. Lee said homelessness, relating back to some of the things she experienced at Room In the Inn. She explained sometimes they aren’t making enough money to pay for housing even with a job. We explained to her that this is something we discussed in class and that this is a wicked problem.

This really helped me learn how a sample of people originally from Bowling Green viewed not only national problems, but ones within their own community. As someone coming from a larger city, it was hard for me to understand some of the opinions people from Bowling Green had, as the culture here is much different. This gave me a deeper understanding as well as more of an appreciating for the things Bowling Green has to offer.

I think ending the conversation on a connection to something we learned in class really helped Allie’s parents and friends better understand not only what we learned in class, but why we asked some of the things we did. By discussing them, I think it was easier for me to identify the parts of homelessness that makes it identify with a wicked problem.

I really enjoyed this activity overall, especially the food.

Hometown Barbeque

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By August

I originally intended for my Kentucky Kitchen Table to be located in my grandmother’s dining room at her home in Southern Indiana, but it was such a nice day that I cannot blame everyone for wanting to sit outside! So we sat out on my grandmother’s patio and had dinner and conversation. My first guests included my grandmother Sharon and grandfather Omar, both of whom grew up in poverty. My grandfather lived in a shack with no running water, and my grandmother and her 11 siblings moved constantly from tiny rental to tiny rental. They overcame the cycle of poverty together and now live a very comfortable life. My next guests were my parents. My father Steve is a veteran and my mother Shonda was his wife while he served. They are both middle class and live comfortably. After that were both of my siblings, both of whom brought a friend I had not met. My brother Steven brought his girlfriend Ava, both of whom are sophomores in high school, and my sister Alexia brought her friend Kalie and my sister is a senior and her friend is a junior in high school. My grandmother invited my Great Aunt Fran whom I see very little, as well as my cousin Jackie and her boyfriend Matt and his children Jade and Logan whom I had not met. My Great Aunt Fran has seen poverty and divorce and still struggles financially because she has a physical disability that hinders her from working. My cousin and her boyfriend work paycheck to paycheck. I had four more guests who are not pictured, which were my Aunt Teresa and Uncle Jerry and their two grandchildren, who have an Indian father. Their father Ben and mother Crystal, my cousins, wanted to come but they were in India on vacation! My guests differed greatly in their socioeconomic class, their age, political identity, and a little bit in ethnicity. Many were related to me, but I was sure to choose relatives I rarely see and who were diverse in opinion, as well as to mix in guests I had never met.

For our food we had a barbecue. Because several of my guests struggle financially, and because my grandmother lives to entertain, she provided all the food. The dinner just so happened to be two days before the presidential election, which really highlighted the diversity of opinion. We started out with everyone being able to say that they had at least some family dinners with their families as children. Everyone wanted to live in a community that was inclusive and economically prosperous, but they all differed in how to get there. One of the clearest things was the diversity of thought between age groups. For example, my grandmother and grandfather view citizenship very personally. My grandmother worries about her family, keeps her home beautiful, and speaks to her neighbors, but does not have a strong sense of civic duty. My sister Alexia on the other hand, views citizenship as an act. For example, she talked about her opinions on the presidential election and the canvassing she was doing for her candidate. She has less of a burden for her own family and more of a burden for voting for the right political candidates to fix societal issues. With the presidential election so close, we talked about a lot of social issues and I worked really hard to keep the conversation from getting too heated, as I had the far right, far left, and moderates represented. Using the bridge metaphor, we could not agree on where we were as citizens or a nation, where we wanted to be, or how to get there because of social issues like abortion and transgender bathrooms that polarized us.  We could agree on small things, like playing our part to alleviate poverty and ensure that we have clean air in the future. With all the polarization at my table, I felt like it related to our reading about Morgellons where the author did not necessarily believe those that had Morgellons but empathized with them and tried to understand them. I spent my dinner observing and learning and empathizing with different opinions.  

The whole time I was trying to figure out how we could live better together. With people from all different walks of life represented at my table, how do we mix this diversity in a way that everyone has more say over their own lives? I arrived at the answer of empathy, not as an ultimate answer, but as a starting point. For example, my grandparents are aged in years and still have an issue with interracial marriage. They do not feel this is racism. I feel that it is, but I also know how their life experiences and upbringing have shaped them and I am able to empathize with them and try to understand their point of view. When my cousin Crystal married an Indian-American man named Ben that was hard for them, but they learned a lot when my cousin Crystal had Ben’s children and they fell in love with them. Their marriage and their children changed the whole dynamic of my family and empathy and patience with my grandparent’s opinions brought them where they are today.

Another example of how empathy helped us to live better together was throughout our political discussion. As much as I tried to keep the conversation on citizenship, with the election two days away much of the conversation revolved around policies of the candidates. My dinner became almost a deliberation, as I did my best to keep conversation respectful and thoughtful. We discussed policies and how we saw those policies affecting our nation and bettering or worsening out world. With the polarity of opinion, we did not reach any meaningful compromise, but we did practice speaking to each other. As we learned in our reading “How we Talk Matters”, this is an important concept. Talking is the first step to solving social issues, and even though we did not necessarily come to agreement on social issues, we learned to talk to one another and to empathize and keep one another’s life experiences in mind as we talk to one another. All in all, this was an enriching learning experience.

Finally a Home Cooked Meal

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By Allie

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When I first heard of the Kentucky Kitchen Table project I was a little apprehensive. Growing up I was used to sitting around the dinner table for meals, but I was never provided with a list of questions to ask. Conversation flowed naturally without someone directing it. When reading through the handout I realized I was going to have to ask questions about citizenship and democracy and the people I was eating with were going to look back at me with blank stares. Thankfully, the dinner went the complete opposite way. The people I ate with were very intrigued and interested with what I was learning in class and they kept encouraging us to ask more questions

I ate with five people besides myself and it took place in Bowling Green, KY. First was Caroline, who on the surface may be seen as similar to me, but we are actually quite different in our beliefs. Caroline and I are in the Honors College together as well as the same sorority, but Caroline comes from a much larger city than me and has different political views as well. The next two people were my parents, Lee and Trent. My mom is very nurturing and accepting and works at a church where she is in charge of planning worship as well as visiting people in the hospital and nursing homes. My dad on the other hand holds much stronger opinions and doesn’t always know when to stop talking. He works in sales and is very good at persuading others. The last couple that joined us was Becky and Ed. Ed is a high school English teacher who is very passionate about what he does. He was also very interested in the conversations we were having and didn’t want the conversation to stop. Becky works in the business world and was much quieter than her husband throughout the night, but her motherly qualities were very apparent in all that she said. Everyone who came to the dinner was very interested in the topics discussed and they all had different and interesting takes on the subjects.

When we all sat down to dinner we were patiently awaiting Caroline. She arrived a couple minutes late and apologized about a hundred times before we actually dug in to our food. Caroline and I first began to explain why we had to talk about democracy and citizenship and we told everyone what this Honors 251 class was all about. After we got all of that out of the way we began to ask everyone some questions. We started with the question of what citizenship means to you. Almost everyone’s responses revolved around doing the right and kind thing. They also discussed the importance of accepting people who are different than you. This led to a discussion of Room in the Inn.

Room in the Inn is a homeless ministry that the church’s in Bowling Green implemented. My home church participates in this program, but through the conversation this night I learned a lot more about it. There was one man in particular that everyone talked about. His name was Ernest and he often stayed at church’s through the Room in the Inn program. I learned that people from my church had actually helped him get a job washing dishes at White Squirrel. He also has begun to earn more money and is currently trying to find somewhere he can afford to live. Everyone at the dinner said this was a perfect example of good citizenship being played out. Helping others, who may not have as much as you, is an easy way to be a good citizen to those around you.

We later asked everyone if they thought their job was serving a greater purpose. Almost immediately everyone gave their one-word answer. Ed, the high school teacher, discussed the question for a while. He believes that what he teaches his students can really impact them in their future. I agree with this whole-heartedly. I am planning on going into education and one of the main reasons is so that I can be a positive role model for kids and make an impact on their lives. He said exactly this and he believes that is what he does every day.

Another thing we talked about was the election. This dinner occurred before Donald Trump was the President Elect. When asked about what advice they would give to our nominees one thing really stuck out to me. Ed stated that he suggests that our nominees should act like statesmen not politicians. He said he wanted to vote for someone who was going to do the right thing for our nation without worrying about being reelected. Such a big problem in politics today is that there are so many people behind the scenes pulling strings that the people who hold office aren’t the ones with the power. They are being told what to do and are too worried about being reelected rather than trying to get legislation passed. Trent also gave the advice that they should know what they are talking about before they speak. This led to a discussion about how neither candidate really knows what they are talking about. Hillary may be the better communicator but she still makes mistakes, and it’s obvious that Trump is blatantly wrong with some of the facts he gives. Again at this time we were still in the middle of the election. I just hope that Trump takes the advice everyone gave him.

Another thing we talked about was social issues. This was where I thought the conversation may go south, but actually this was my favorite part of the night. I anticipated an uncomfortable talk about abortion or gun rights or LGBTQ rights. Thankfully Becky began with saying animal cruelty hit home for her. She just couldn’t believe that people could be so cruel to animals and live with themselves. We all pretty much agreed with this strongly and our conversation was successfully veered away from the dangerous cliff we could have fallen over.

At this point in the conversation Caroline and I pulled the wicked problem conversation on them and we started to discuss that. We were able to relate this to the class and we told them about the different wicked problems we had studied like poverty and education. They kept getting annoyed when we asked them if they had any solutions to homelessness because they realized there was no easy solution. They were very intrigued with the discussion of wicked problems because they finally had a name to use for all the problems that surround us.

Throughout the dinner we also discussed the best things about our world today. Lee talked about the advances in technology and medicine as well as how our world is “smaller”. Because of all the advances people across the world can be contacted with a click of a button. We also talked about how great of a town/city BG was. Caroline talked about how it was very different from Louisville, but she liked it a lot. Bowling Green has a small town feel while still having enough interesting things going. During this conversation I realized how important WKU was to our community. Without the university the city of Bowling Green would be nothing. It was interesting to hear everyone’s opinions of Bowling Green and what they liked and didn’t like about it.

Overall the night was filled with enriching conversation rather than the awkward pauses that I thought would ensue. Caroline and I got to enjoy a home-cooked meal and we even learned a thing or two. The awkward dinner turned into a cultivating Kentucky Kitchen Table.

A Suburban Gathering (as Diverse as I Could Get It)

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By Dana

Over fall break, at my home in Pittsboro/Brownsburg, Indiana, I gathered the most diverse group I could on notice and had dinner with them. This group consisted of my dad and mom, Steve and Diane, and two of my closest friends from high school Mallory and Mackenzie. It should be noted that although we all live in Brownsburg, my mom and dad are from rural Northern Indiana. Mallory, Mackenzie, and I graduated with 560 in our class, while my parents graduated with about 100. Between the three college freshman, we each have experienced something a little different so far. Mallory goes to Butler University in Indianapolis, a small-ish liberal arts school where she studies Pre-Pharmacy. Mackenzie attends Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, a very large school, studying biology and Spanish. Obviously I attend WKU, which is a school of the in between size, studying Sport Management. All three of us were raised in the Christian church. My dad and mom grew up in a farming community with approximately 4 stoplights between the 2 towns they were in most. They went to Butler University and University of Indianapolis, respectively, so they received an education similar to Mallory’s. My dad works from home as an underwriter for an insurance company. My mom has an accounting degree, but she has run her own consulting business out of our basement for 15 years and is very successful at her job. Each of us, although coming from very similar places, have slightly different views on our country and the world.

One thing that has consistently struck a chord with me in class is the idea of being a global citizen. When I mentioned this over our burgers and potato chips, Mackenzie said that we should be able to see another country through the eyes of our own, not judging the people there or thinking of their culture or government as strange. Mallory built on that by mentioning that we look at our countries’ governments and think ‘they don’t have a democracy, we should fix that’ when in reality, that may not be the best thing for them, which creates conflict. Being a global citizen should entail accepting not only cultures but governments, choices, and ideas of other countries. My mom said that, in terms of the United States and the world, citizenship means service and participating in your community. My dad said knowing your neighbors, being involved in the community, and taking pride for where you live are all important aspects of citizenship as well.

The thing that stuck with me the most was when we talked about the diversity that each of us has encountered with a specific person. Mackenzie talked about how she has talked to a girl in her sociology class who absolutely, genuinely hates her parents. Coming from a very put together and close knit home, Mackenzie was fascinated by this. This girl is also a part of the LGBT community, and made a point to tell Mackenzie this because she knew Mack is a Christian. Mackenzie said she never would’ve guessed that this outgoing and neat girl had so much baggage that she carried around with her, especially because at the surface she seemed very similar.

My dad coaches middle school basketball and has interacted with several young kids in single parent situations or rough family life, so he is more familiar with diversity in that sense. My dad has also worked with several people who grew up outside of America, but have adapted to speak fluent English and work well within the company. He made the point that as long as someone is a hard worker, you can assimilate anywhere.

Mallory has gone through a major encounter with diversity this year as one of her roommates in Amish. She is very conservative in her values and views, and she is still adapting to being outside of her normal community. Amish people live in southern Indiana mainly, so none of us have had a lot of interaction with Amish, so it was interesting listening to Mallory talk about it. One of Mal’s other roommates is black from Chicago. Her whole apartment is a very diverse location. She’s also been exposed to an interesting type of diversity at Butler, which really dug deeper into our conversation about diversity, especially in education. As a liberal arts school, with a renowned school of dance and music, Butler is thought to be and is advertised as very diverse. Although Mallory says there are even more LGBTQ+ students than there were at our high school (which was probably more than the average Indiana high school), there’s not much diversity besides that factor. Butler is a very expensive school, so the majority of the students there are middle to upper class and white. It was fascinating to her talk about this gap between what the school would seem like and what it really is. They don’t offer many scholarships, so even though its proximity in the heart of North Indianapolis should attract more inner city students, it doesn’t because they can’t afford it. Almost all the students are not first generation college students, so those who are become frustrated, according to Mallory. She has had lots of work in the inner city with the public elementary schools. She says Butler is “a close minded place that pretends to be very open minded”.

My mom also had a very interesting interaction with diversity. She grew up on a family farm working alongside migrant Mexican workers. They stayed at the farm and my mom grew up right with them. She walked the halls with them while they were bullied at school for being her “family’s Mexicans”. She knew what it must have felt like for them. When my uncle came out as gay a few years ago, my grandmother really struggled with it and didn’t understand how my mom was so accepting of it. My mom reminded her mom that she grew up with those kids who were different than her, who were teased by others for being different, and that my uncle could probably relate a little bit to that on the inside.

In this discussion around my kitchen table in Pittsboro/Brownsburg, Indiana, I learned most about diversity. I learned that sometimes diversity can be falsified and other times it can be very, very hidden. We don’t know someone’s story until we hear it for ourselves. I think in this very divided world, we often forget the age old rule that no two people are alike. No matter how many similarities they have on the outside, their insides may be completely different. They may be screaming the opposite on the inside. But we would never get the chance to know that if we assumed they were the same as us. I didn’t know some of these things about my parents and my best friends. I heard stories that would may have never been brought up if it weren’t for this project, and I’m very grateful for that.

In terms of Citizen and Self, it became very real for me that we all have different bridges. We may all want to be in the same place, or we may want to be in a different place, but regardless the steps each of us wants to take to get there is different. And we also must keep in mind, that the steps each of us NEEDS to take to get there will be different as well. Because we each have our own story, we each have our path, we each have our own ideas, and we each have our own passions, there’s no possible way that we can each take the same steps across that bridge to get to our desired outcome. But at the very least, I think we can all hope that we end off better than where we started with each step we take no matter what it may be.

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Goat Caramel and Getting Dress Coded: My Experience at a Stranger’s Kitchen Table

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By Kaylin

As someone who comes from a family who only uses their dining room on Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Kentucky Kitchen Table project sounded to me like something I would have rather kept at the bottom of my to-do list (at first). When I heard that we would be eating dinner at Alison’s house, along with Leila, I was even more apprehensive. Entering the home of any stranger would be slightly uncomfortable, but entering the home of professors at my university sounded a lot weirder.

When Danielle, Amy, and I began our walk from campus to Alison’s home, we laughed about what we might be eating that night. “If it’s tofu, we’re going out to eat after this,” I suggested. Alison, our host, teaches in the English department at WKU. Leila, another guest, teaches Citizen and Self at WKU. Both professors seemed like they had more than a lifetime of experience already. Danielle, a freshman, comes from a town much larger than mine, but we share a lot of the same values. Amy, on the other hand, is a sophomore and is from Tennessee. I could tell she and I thought differently on a lot of issues, but we also have a lot of the same values. After guessing about which door to come in, we settled for the back door. We were greeted by Hazel, the yellow lab. I was relieved to see tacos on the stove.

The awkwardness was toned down a bit when Alison asked for our help in the kitchen. I chopped the cabbage while Danielle and Amy set the table. I was glad she was designating some responsibility to us so we didn’t have to wait in the kitchen and stare at her, especially since they had decided to provide the entire meal. Alison and Leila introduced themselves to us and asked us about our majors and how long we have been at WKU.  Things were still a little weird at this point, but I was starting to feel more comfortable.

When we sat down to eat we went through more motions trying to make small talk, but eventually this led into real conversations. The two professors, I quickly learned, have been well-cultured. Alison’s advice to us was to take the unforeseen opportunities which come our way. For her, this was teaching English to students overseas. She spent two years in Japan doing this and eventually did the same thing in European countries. I found this to be quite admirable. Both professors seemed to know a lot about ethnic food, which I envied. I decided to make it a goal of mine to try foods from other cultures whenever I could.

After talking about different places in Bowling Green we should go to eat, we finally started discussing things that felt like they really mattered – not just things that would help me out when my stomach started growling. When I asked the two professors what citizenship means to them, Alison said “recognizing that everyone is dealing with something.” I immediately made the connection to our empathy readings. In order to successfully deliberate, in order to live well together, we must put ourselves in the shoes of others on a regular basis. We must always give one another the benefit of the doubt. Alison meant noting that someone may behave a certain way because they are having a bad day, or going out of your way to help others simply because you can. This can also mean asking yourself why someone believes the things they do, or said the thing they said about it.

Leila laughed when asked this question, saying that she should have a good answer to it because she teaches the class. She ended up agreeing with Alison, and then we got sidetracked by talking about dress codes in high schools. This led to interesting points about feminism. Amy, a fellow student, explained that her high school stationed staff members at the doors to examine outfits and determine whether they were “appropriate.” We noted that dress codes typically only effect girls. Leila said to, “imagine if these authorities spent this much energy teaching men about consent,” referring to how much time they spend trying to enforce a dress code.

My favorite part of the dinner’s conversation came up accidentally and correlates very clearly to Honors 251. After talking about the dress code, we began discussing how many people who claim they are not feminists hold feminist values.  We said that many times, people simply don’t know how to say what they think. I brought up the example of when I was riding in the car with my at-the-time boyfriend and his mother and somehow ended up talking about abortion. His family are devout Baptists, so I was surprised when his mother stated that she would consider an abortion in some extreme cases. I was less surprised when she followed this statement with, “like if I were raped by a black man.” When my boyfriend asked her why specifically a black man, she went on to say that she doesn’t believe in interracial relationships, or, in this hypothetical case, conception. After further questioning of the issue, it became clear that she didn’t actually “not believe in” it, she just doesn’t see it fitting for herself. “I wouldn’t shun or look down on anyone else for it,” she explained. While I still don’t love what she had to say, my view of her was much better once she elaborated.

Had that conversation developed no further than her statement that she doesn’t believe in interracial relationships, I would have left that day thinking she was bigoted and kind of terrible. Afterwards though, I could recognize that she just didn’t know how to verbalize what she meant properly. Everyone at the dinner table agreed that this is not uncommon today, and that this is why we must properly deliberate and give others the benefit of the doubt.

When we began wrapping up our conversations, Alison remembered the dessert she had. We ate English cookies with Nutella and Mexican goat caramel (an example of how much they experiment with food). From the evening, I learned that there are way different people than the ones I spend most of my time interacting with, and that in some cases, they could be right in front of me. I ended up enjoying a lot of the conversations we had, and plan to Leila’s help when planning my study abroad ventures for spring of 2018.

The best part of the meal was that no one was on their cell phones. This was a refreshing change. Once we broke through the barrier of unclear expectations, we had meaningful conversation and a very enjoyable evening. In that hour and a half I learned about food, people, and tried two new things: green tea with brown rice and goat caramel. Who knew?

Kentucky Kitchen Table in Bowling Green

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By Hannah

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Kentucky Kitchen Table I was accompanied by four other individuals. The participants came from a variety of cities as well as economic classes. First was Lyn Dawson who is a young adult from Glasgow, Kentucky and is a member of the Honors College at WKU. She is a positive person who typically sits quietly to herself but has many intriguing thoughts. Next was Scott who is from Louisville. Scott is someone who is independent in his thoughts and has strong founded opinions. He is talkative and has an upbeat personality. Next is Tami from Bowling Green who is selfless and works hard to help assist her family. She is a quiet individual who aims to please others. Then there was David from Bowling Green who enjoys sharing his many experiences of life. He believes that everyone should be treated equally and does all he can to provide for the people in his life. Lastly, there is Megan from Bowling Green who is an individual who is constantly thinking and wishes to do her best in all situations. She is a positive person who is independent and is strong in her thoughts and beliefs. When around the table, we started with what being a citizen is besides the obvious rights and responsibilities that we hear about growing up. It was anonymous at the table that everyone believed being a better citizen means listening to those around you and just trying to do your part in your community. This question mostly set the mood for the conversation and gave people a sense of what the conversation was going to be like. Next, we talked about how our future jobs or current jobs play a role in the community or how we want to use our job to better the community. Although the jobs varied with the chosen profession, the younger adults at the table wanted to make a change. This included changing the culture of politics, media, or pediatric mannerisms. This was interesting because although each individual was realistic in the small ability to change everything, they each realized they could control the way they behaved. This intrigued me to believe that if everyone looked at themselves first before the outside world, the world would start becoming a better place. These issues start on the inside and work themselves out. The older adults at the table realized that where they are in life may not be the biggest dreams they thought of in childhood, but they realized the importance of what they do. For Tami she works in healthcare, returning money to those who paid too much. She saw that although healthcare has such a negative connotation, she still works hard to be the part of healthcare that brightens people’s day. David’s official title is “Engineering Specialist” which means he takes care of the building where Tami works. He found in his position that no matter who he runs into through the day that he can teach a sense of equality and self-worth. He expressed that everyone, no matter if you clean the toilet or run the company, that everyone has an equal part. It is not about treating only high authority with respect but the people that are not thought about every day. These are individuals that society has defined as “unimportant”. The way this question was answered also reminded me of one of the central questions of the class that related to how we can solve problems. This ultimately shows that to cross the theoretical bridge, the first step we take is to recognize our part in society. The next topic that we discussed was how our neighbors played a role in how we live. This included what we could do to become better neighbors and how we currently may be interacting with our neighbors. As everyone spoke, it appeared that when we were younger or when their kids were younger, that interaction with neighbors was more prominent. Scott spoke about how before he moved houses that they could leave their doors unlocked and him and his neighbors had an open door policy. However, when he moved he found this was not as easy with his new neighbors. This connection was lost because his neighbors did not have kids and were typically were older, it was harder to form a bond and trust each other. This almost appeared as a microcosm for society of how when we are different from people it is harder to get along. This may not necessarily be because of bias but possibly because of human nature. I related Scott saying this to the reading “Paying for the Party.” Individuals typically do not have the grounds to get along if they do not come from similar backgrounds. Everyone at the table then agreed that especially with today’s changing world that trust and respect has most definitely changed which could affect our relationship with our neighbors. The conversation then shifted to the controversy with police officers and racial biases. Again the table agreed that although there may be corrupt officers in the system that typically most officers had good intentions. I wondered how this conversation may have changed if there was someone of minority in the group. The next question brought up at dinner had both surprising and comforting answers. The question was what advice one would give to those running for office. Everyone was careful to try and not relate the advice they would give to a specific candidate running in this current election. The table was clearly diverse in who they believed should win this current election but they tried not to let that come into play. First thing mentioned was by David who said he believed any president should have military backgrounds in consideration that they would be commander and chief of the United States military. Next Megan mentioned that the president should be someone with business experience. Although this was agreed upon, how a business person should act as president was differentiated. The majority opinion was that when being president it is important that you have the people skills to talk to other nations and remain peaceful with allies. You do not necessarily need to be a nice, easy going person, but you need to be respected. This is especially important with the recent hostilities going on and so many relationships are on the line. After sitting at the table I learned that although we come from many different backgrounds, that individuals in this country just want the best for everyone. At my table people realized that most situations could not be fixed with radical changes, but to fix things we just need to start with a basis of respect.