BLOOMINGTON – Calls for national unity are increasing in response to today’s national divides and Americans yearn to move past the polarization afflicting our country. Knitting this country back together is essential and Bloomington is part of the solution said Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton.
The Cities of Bloomington, IN, and Palo Alto, CA are the first Sibling Cities in a national project that opens meaningful dialog between communities in different parts of the country. As part of the Sibling Cities USA initiative, three town halls are being organized between the communities to discuss “Regional Divides”, “Climate Action”, and “Race & Belonging”.
The first will take place on Sunday, September 17 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.; followed by Climate Action, on October 8, and Race & Belonging, on November 12.
FIRST OF THREE TOWN HALLS
You are invited to gather in person with fellow Bloomingtonians to engage virtually with a room full of Palo Altans. Co-sponsored by city governments, library systems, and service organizations, the town halls aim to renew our public square and offer opportunities to discuss tough issues with fellow Americans distant from us.
A Town Hall on “Bridging Regional Divides”
Sunday, September 17, 4-6 p.m.
Monroe County Public Library, Meeting Room 1B & 1C Combo
303 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Register to participate by visiting siblingcitiesusa.org/events.
A TALE OF TWO TOWNS
Don’t miss this talk by Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences Professor of Cognitive Science and Comparative Literature, Douglas Hofstadter. His Pulitzer-prize-winning book Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, has had a considerable impact on people in many disciplines, ranging from philosophy to mathematics, artificial intelligence, music, and beyond.
A Tale of Two Towns: Bloomington and Palo Alto as Sibling Cities.
Thursday, September 7, 7-9 p.m.
Monroe County Public Library, Auditorium
303 E. Kirkwood Avenue
The event will be recorded and live-streamed on YouTube by Community Access Television Services (CATS). Tune in at youtube.com/@communityaccesstelevisions9400.
SPONSORSHIP
Would you be interested in sponsoring one or more of these events? Sponsorship information is available here.
For more information about this initiative, contact Sibling Cities USA CEO, Vicki Veenker at vicki@siblingcitiesusa.org or Bloomington project coordinator, Alain Barker at abarker@indiana.edu
