The RQ Founder’s Collection
Dear Friends:
A thousand years from now, the first 500 years of our country will be considered early-American history. That means we are all founders, responsible and accountable for the direction of the United States. (Join us for our annual convening, Founder’s Weekend, if you’d like to further engage in person).
In light of growing political violence and division in the country, which we condemn, we are releasing some of the back content of our print magazine for free as a public service. Our efforts to promote curiosity, constructive dialogue, and pluralism are funded by our subscribers and supporters. If you find this content helpful, we hope that you’ll subscribe or make a contribution.
Toward a More Beautiful Future,
Heather Shayne Blakeslee
Founding Publisher & Editor & Chief
Mini-Collection:
Personal Reflection, Resilience & Finding Our Common Humanity
While we cannot control everything around us, we can control what we media we personally consume, what signals we disrupt, which we boost, and how we personally react to challenging situations and disagreement as we try to find our common humanity. Sometimes, we also have to first admit our own failings.
Mini-Collection:
On Disagreeing Better, Finding Common Ground & Repairing Our Social Fabric
The fabric of our neighborhoods has frayed, and zero-sum thinking—as well as an elevation of politics to religious-like zeal—is driving America apart. Listening, good faith dialogue, and reorienting ourselves toward seeking to understand rather than to persuade are all skills that require time and practice. But strong social ties make a strong country.
Mini-Collection:
On Building a Culture that Values Pluralism, Free Expression & American Values
It’s not enough to be a nation of laws, and of equal protection under those laws. At its core, America’s pluralistic society must create a culture of free expression or it ceases to any longer be America. We the people must be able to disagree in public without fear of physical violence. For artists, that also means being free to create art without having to make political oaths.