When - May 25, 2010

Reception - 5:30

Program - 6:00 pm

Where -1302 Longworth HOB

open to the public

Contact:

Nelson Watkins
The Faith & Politics Institute
nelson@faithandpolitics.org
202 546 -1299

with Gov. William Winter and Ocean Robbins

The Deepening the American Dream Lecture series offers reflections on the spiritual meaning of being American in today’s world from some of our most respected thinkers. Begun in 1999, the essays in this series explore the relationship between the inner life of spirit and the outer life of service.

HONORARY CO-HOSTS: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA).

Ocean Robbins is the founder and director of YES! and coauthor of Choices for Our Future: A Generation Rising for Life on Earth. His essay for the Deepening the American Dream Series is entitled: The Power of Partnership: Building Healing Bridges Across History Divides. In this essay he writes of his experiences in meeting and working with people from diverse backgrounds and countries, and how, even in times of conflict, they have built bridges of friendship and understanding.

Gov. William Winter served as governor of Mississippi from 1980 to 1984. He has been a longtime advocate for public education, racial reconciliation, and historic preservation. In his essay, Opening Doors in a Closed Society, he writes: “In the increasingly complex and diverse society in which we live, very few public issues have clear-cut answers. It is the test of the true leader to find a way to accommodate differences in a reasonable and responsible way. Honorable compromise has always been a necessary element in good leadership. Some na�ve people regard it as a sign of weakness. Actually, it may involve great courage.”

The Faith & Politics Institute

is a non-partisan, interfaith organization that advances reflective leadership among members of Congress and congressional staff to bridge the divides that arise in a thriving democracy.