Constitutions used to be a symbol of national identity. In democracies, they state the principles and ideals that citizens can rally around. But does this still work today?
We want to take a closer look at the role constitutions play in the United States and Germany. In trying times for Western societies, can constitutions still serve as a guideline and common ground for all? Or are these texts locked in the past and cannot help us as we argue about free speech, gun violence, minority rights, abortion, and the environment? Worse even, will they actually keep us from finding a way forward?
Join us on July 24th as we debate these questions with German author and podcast host Hanna Israel and US public historian Shelby Dains.
Biographies
Hanna Israel is an experienced journalist with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry with a focus on Journalism, Policy Analysis & Consulting, Communications, and Gender Equality, and holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Affairs from Freie Universität Berlin.
Shelby Dains is a a public historian specializing in social history, southern history, and political history with a Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology from North Carolina State University and a Master’s Degree in Public History from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Outside of academia, Dains pursued experience in the museum field to prepare for a career in public history. Most recently, she was a Collections Intern for the Sullenberger Aviation Museum (SAM) during the summer of 2022. In this position, Dains collaborated with SAM's collection and exhibit projects team and Ryan Freeman Design, an international award-winning museum consulting firm, to produce exhibit content on historically significant people, aircraft, and events. In March of 2023, she was recruited back to the museum as an Exhibit Assistant. Since then, she has been tasked with creating lectern and exhibit content for the museum's helicopter and VTOL aircraft collection. When the museum reopens in 2024, her research, writing, and images will span over 1,000s of square feet in SAM’s main gallery.
This event is part of a series of online talks with young voters from both sides of the Atlantic:
Across the Pond – Politics, Power, Participation
Young Voters Talk
Politicians are being attacked, elections are deemed “rigged”, democratic institutions are called into question, checks and balances seem to cause constant gridlock, and extremists are gaining ground… 2024 looks like an election year that seemingly doesn’t offer much hope for the future - neither in Europe, nor the United States. In this series, we will hear from young voters from both sides of the Atlantic who share their ideas about how to move forward. More…
