Coming Together
These messages describe how people with differences can join forces for the common good.
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Earthrise Today
It was Christmas Eve 1968. Apollo 8 was the first NASA mission to go into orbit around the moon. As the astronaut crew looked out the window of their space capsule, they witnessed something never seen before: the rise of Earth. Mission commander first took a...
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Know Nothings: History Revisited
It began in 1830. Roman Catholics facing difficulties at home due to their religious faith were immigrating to America in large numbers. Nativist alarmists began to spread conspiracy theories that the Roman Catholic church was out to destroy the American way of life....
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A Lesson in Social Transformation
It is perhaps one of the most revered places in America. The Lincoln Memorial and the Statue of President Lincoln are a must-see for every American. The memorial is an inspiration in its majesty, but few realize how symbolic the memorial is in the social...
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Lessons From the Past
They had lost everything after a series of devastating crop losses. Drought had led to abject devastation. They had no choice but to seek a future elsewhere. That elsewhere was California. As many as 400,000 refugees sought out new lives in California. They were farm...
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A Personal Defeat of Fascism
In what became the lead-up to World War II, Adolf Hitler had secured the rights to the 1936 Olympics to be held in Berlin. He had intended that the Olympics would showcase the superiority of the German people. But Hitler’s policies of bigotry and fascism nearly...
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Contributions from Abroad
Wong Tsu was born in Beijing, China in 1893. When he was a teenager, China was going through a period of unrest. He was able to go to England to study naval engineering and then to the U.S. to study aeronautical engineering. In the early 1900’s, Congress passed the...
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A Blending of Cultures
It began as a fish sauce from Vietnam made of fish entrails, meat byproducts and soybeans. Since it was easy to store, British traders took it on board their long voyages as they returned from Southeast Asia and China. The traders liked the taste, as it was a change...
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Diplomatic Leadership
Ralph Bunche was raised by his grandmother after his mother died and his father disappeared from his life. He was an excellent athlete and was the valedictorian in his high school. He continued to play sports in college at UCLA and was first in his class. He...
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Finding Common Ground
When Jesse and Luke sat down at the conference table in the university president’s conference room, it was the first time they had ever been on the same side of a table. Jesse was the president of the state AFL-CIO and Luke was a highly successful entrepreneur in the...
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Collaboration
Betty Comden and Adolph Green met in the late 1930’s. They were both aspiring Broadway actors but had little success. They decided to form their own troupe and joined up with another aspiring actor, Judy Holliday, to create and perform their own productions. They were...
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