E Pluribus Unum Submissions

Democracy is a big topic.  A score of people submitted a poem, song, article, short essay, and/or link to a song or video.  

Five local poets contributed original poems.  Including several poems inspired by the murder of George Floyd. 

 

A link to a thoughtful dramatization of a meeting in 1865 between President Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas to discuss race relations going forward following the Civil War.

 

Information on some concrete solutions, including Braver Angels (encouraging conversations across the partisan divide) and Ranked Choice Voting (a way of reducing partisan anger while increasing political choices).

 

A couple people offered songs on how we should treat one another. Theirs was a simple yet profound point that democracy really is about relationships.  

 

This year we updated our software so you can add a comment and/or share it.  

Here are our 2021 E Pluribus Unum Submissions:  

Watch Freedom at the Arboretum

Non-partisan videos on challenges facing democracy

Unbreaking America: solving the corruption

Represent Us is a non-partisan national organization that is pressing for anti-corruption legislation and tweaks to voting law to fix a broken system, and make government more accountable to all of us, again.

TED Talk with Lawrence Lessig

Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig makes the case that our democracy has become corrupt with money, leading to inequality that means only 0.02% of the United States population actually determines who's in power. Lessig says that this fundamental breakdown of the democratic system must be fixed before we will ever be able to address major challenges like climate change, social security, and student debt. This is not the most important problem, it's just the first problem. 


Rank choice voting in Maine

Maine is pioneering ranked choice voting in its federal elections and it could change everything about the way that candidates campaign — and win. In this short video the Washington Post takes a look at the race for Maine's 2nd Congressional District, and how ranked choice voting has changed the campaign. 

Thank you!

It Takes A CommunityLove not hate button

While Freedom at the Arboretum is still organized by the Westbrook family (which includes the Orellana family), there is no way Freedom at the Arboretum could exist without the help of many talented friends.  We are a bunch of patriotic armatures who enjoy our annual 4th of July celebration.   We wish to thank a long list of volunteers who generously gave of their time to make this event and website possible.

 

Pat Cantlon and Bob Rice are lifelong friends who professionally run sound systems for events.  Pat graciously provided the sound system and they both put in long hours from setup to takedown.  

 

Stage Left Theater gifted us with incredible acting talent, making words come alive.  

 

Mark Becker for recording the event and editing it into individual videos for each section,.  He then upload them onto YouTube for us. 

 

John A. Finch Arboretum and City of Spokane Urban Forestry for allowing us to gather in this beautiful tribute to diversity.

 

St. Ann Parish for its community support, and in reminding us that we really are all equal in the eyes of God, that treating our neighbors as we'd like them to treat ourselves is a Gospel value that anyone can share.

 

In addition to the above, I wish to thank Dan Lambert, Darrell Blank, Susan Lopez, Katrina Heath, Elliot Fabric, Vern Windham, Lynn& Bill Noel, Bob & Dianna Bohme, Cheryl Sussell, and Sean Cantlon.  

 

We also wish to thank everyone who submitted an item for E Pluribus Unum and all who attended this years 4th of July gathering.