Some tables talked about the science and societal impacts of DNA testing. Some groups talked about issues of identity. Other conversations centered on immigration and what it means to be an American. And one table came up with pitches for a television show based on the book!

Upcoming events include the Common Reading lecture by author Alex Wagner. The lecture will be Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Gym. The Global Neighborhood will host the next installment of its film series on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. in Global Commons 103. The film will be , based on the true story of an African American cop who goes undercover to infiltrate the KKK. The film is directed by Spike Lee and stars John David Washington and Adam Driver. Damion Blake, assistant professor of political science and policy studies and Faculty Fellow for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education, will lead a discussion after the film.

Students, staff and faculty gathered together in Lakeside on Wednesday, March 6, for an event called “Dinner across Difference.” Students from the Global Neighborhood and the Historic Neighborhood came together to express their appreciation for and bond with the staff who work at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ.

Participants also talked about belonging, specifically times they felt like they did belong and occasions when they didn’t. Also discussed were participants’ contributions to the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ community and what makes the community strong.

The Historic Neighborhood will be hosting its next monthly dinner on Wednesday, April 10, at 5:30 p.m. The next Global Neighborhood event will be the Film Series, held on Tuesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. in Global Commons 103. The film will be “Entre Les Murs” (“The Class”), a French film about the challenges students and a teacher face in a diverse Paris classroom. Discussion will follow. This event explores another aspect of the Global Neighborhood’s 2018-19 theme, educational equality.

The next Global Neighborhood sponsored event will be a film, . This film continues with the Neighborhood’s theme of education and equality. This comedy-drama tells a humorous story of a family who goes to great lengths to get the best education for their child.

The film will be shown on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. in Global Commons 103.

Discussants at the dinner included students from the new Master’s in Higher Education program. The neighborhood hosted a special guest for the event: President Connie Ledoux Book. In her honor, there was a category of questions called “Presidents and Books.” 

The contest consisted of five questions in each of six categories. In addition to the usual trivia topics of sports and music, there were unique categories with questions about ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ history and educational equality, which is the Neighborhood’s theme this year. Teams were limited to eight people cell phones were prohibited.

The questions were written, researched, and verified by a team of students and faculty/staff from the Global Neighborhood, including Arianne Payne, Lallo Yadeta (RAC and Lead Student Mentor), Jillian Epperson (Grad Apprentice), and Daniel Griffin (partner-in residence.) The contest was enthusiastically hosted by Payne and Yadeta. In addition to the prize for the most correct answers, a prize was also awarded for the team with the most creative name.

This is the final big event that the Global Neighborhood will host this fall. Look for the next House Dinner and film seriesin February.

As they ate, participants talked about education and issues of inequality, inspired by the Common Reading. This year’s Common Reading is “Something Must Be Done about Prince Edward County” by . Green, a journalist and native of Prince Edward County, Virginia, explored the history of desegregation in her community. Prompts at the tables encouraged people to think about their awareness of racial issues and their own schools and educational experiences. At the end of dinner, one lucky person at each table won a copy of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, “.”

Dinner attendees then practiced empathetic listening by participating in a guided activity. One person answered a personal question, a second person responded with empathy, and a third person observed the interaction. Then the roles shifted. The questions gave the respondents space to explore their feelings and vulnerabilities if they chose. Attendees were able to build trust and get to know each other better.

The next Global activity, open to the whole campus, is the first film in the Global Neighborhood Film Series.  The film is “,” about three DACA students in Georgia who were prohibited by law from attending their state’s top public universities. The film explores their pursuit of education and their activism for themselves and their communities.

The film is co-sponsored by the International & Global Studies program and featured as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. The film will be shown on Tuesday Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. in Global Commons 103.

The Neighborhood hosted pairs of student researchers and faculty mentors who discussed their collaborations. Attendees represented a wide range of disciplines, including education, English, art history, psychology, biology, religion and exercise science.

The discussion questions began with basic background: what is your research about, and how did you become interested in the topic? Then conversations turned to the research process, its benefits and challenges. Finally, students and mentors discussed what they have learned and how the research contributes to the larger field of study. The Global students had the opportunity to think about possible research they might do.

Also present at the dinner were three journalists from the . Reza Sayah, Rachel Oswald and Tom Hundley are visiting ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ , covering topics such as nuclear weapons and human rights. Their insights were a valuable addition to the discussions.

The dinner continued the successful discussion format, which is based on “” model. These small dinners, hosted all over the country, bring together people from different political and ideological backgrounds to have meaningful conversations over food.

The next Global Neighborhood program will be a screening of the local documentary film, “Waiting in the Minefield.”  The film is directed by ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ professor Sana Haq and features a Syrian refugee now living in Greensboro. 

More information, including a trailer, can be found on E-net. The screening will be held Tuesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. in Global Commons 103.

This month, the discussions were hosted by students from the International Living Learning Community. Located in Global D, this living learning community consists of students from international backgrounds as well as students interested global issues. The students invited faculty and staff from international backgrounds as guests. The food was also international, featuring Korean cuisine.

Discussion prompts, written by the International Living Learning Community students, included such interesting questions as: How do you define “home?” Why do you travel how you do? How do you define “international student”? How can we learn to engage with people different than us?

The tables were free to follow the prompts or to pursue the conversation down whatever paths it took. Everyone enjoyed sharing stories and perspectives.

The format of the discussion groups is based on “” model. These small dinners, hosted all over the country, bring together people from different political and ideological backgrounds to have meaningful conversations over food.

The next Global Neighborhood Association dinner will be held Wednesday, April 4 from 5:45-7 p.m.

Instead of a single speaker, the event featured a diverse panel of people who discussed migration experiences. Sarra Eddahiri is a junior whose family came to the United States in 2014 from Tunisia in response to the Arab Spring. Juan Vega Rios, a first-year student, moved the U.S. with his family when he was 4 years old. Jason Kirk, associate professor of political science and policy studies, discussed migration from a broader context and also through the experiences of his wife’s family, who came from South India. Jo Petit is a visiting Fulbright scholar. She is a professor of English and has come to ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ from the United Kingdom. Finally, Blanca Zendejas Nienhaus came to the United States from Mexico when she married her husband, Associate Professor of Business Communication Brian Nienhaus. The panel was skillfully moderated by Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies L.D. Russell.

Panelists began by introducing themselves and telling what motivated their migrations. Some motivations were political or economic. Nienhaus asked the audience to guess her motivation; after a number of clues, a student was able to guess that the answer was “love.”

The panelists discussed the struggles they faced. Then began an enthusiastic conversation period. Attendees considered several questions about migration in light of the panelists’ remarks. Students found their stereotypes of migration were challenged by the experiences of the panelists. They recognized challenges faced by migrants, including language, bureaucracy, and the strong emotions caused by leaving one’s home and family.

Finally, students considered what strategies might help migrants overcome these challenges. One student asked the panel for their opinion about strategies. Simple things like smiling, kindness and starting conversations are easy and very effective.

In conclusion, Russell reminded the audience that one way people think about migrants and immigrants is with fear. But he asked the group to consider what westand to gain when people bring gifts from outside. And what might we miss if we close borders?

As a local business owner and resident, Baltutis became interested in local issues and politics. When he heard that several local officials were running unopposed in 2013, he ran for mayor.

Though he lost the election, he was successful in raising awareness about Alamance County’s lack of public transportation. When Baltutis ran again for mayor in 2015, he was elected. Baltutis is the youngest mayor in the city’s history. And in June 2016, the transportation problem was resolved when Link Transit began servicing Alamance County with a bus service.

Baltutis regularly rides the bus and talks to riders, who are pleased that they can now reach stores, jobs, and health care even if they don’t have access to a car. Baltutis declared his interest in the “human aspect” of infrastructure.

Baltutis discussed several challenges and initiatives affecting Burlington. One issue he feels passionately about is how to open up community leadership to people of any age. Another is to try to bridge the geographic and socioeconomic divides in the city and to create a more inclusive mindset.

Baltutis believes that “cities are the laboratories of democracy.” Cities, because of their smaller size, can innovate more rapidly than states and nations, so many novel ideas can be tried in cities first.

The audience discussed several questions about municipal issues that are relevant to Burlington and other communities. One was the question of how to balance the needs of long-time residents with newcomers. Another issue was how to engage all residents to strengthen the local community. Students offered thoughts and suggestions, some based on their own experiences. For example, one student proposed a youth council like the one in her hometown. Baltutis could be seen taking notes on the students’ comments.

The Global Neighborhood Association’s next House Dinner will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The GNA will be holding the next event in its film series on Tuesday, Oct. 24 in Global Commons 103.