Our Town: Fostering Healthy Communities – ongoing program covering timely topics over ten months

Story & Song Bookstore Bistro is hosting a 10-month discussion series, Our Town: Fostering Healthy Communities, facilitated by T.R. Richardson. The program is designed to bring together residents of Nassau County to 1) explore the elements of what makes a healthy community, 2) learn and apply the art of civil conversation, and 3) foster greater understanding and connection through face-to-face interaction and learning. The sessions meet on Sunday afternoons.

A great community goes beyond manicured properties and new parks. Today, how we relate to and communicate with one another is what creates a strong and resilient foundation for our relationships. The ongoing program explores how to help sustain a community that resists divisiveness and maintains and grows in strength to navigate the challenges ahead.

Sunday, June 22, a two-hour program focused on the responsibility of media in a community. Guest speakers included Mike Phillips of The Fernandina Observer, Noah Hertz of Jacksonville Today, and Tracy Dishman, formerly with the Fernandina News-Leader and currently the editor of Florida NewsLine, which serves community newspapers in Northeast Florida. The well-attended session was informative and thought-provoking.

The next session is scheduled for July 20, from 2-3:30 p.m. It will focus on the Gullah/Geechee Nation, which stretches from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida. Queen Quet, celebrating her 25^th year as Chieftess and Head of State for the Gullah/Geechee Nation, will enlighten us with a "histo-musical" presentation. Queen Quet is a published author, computer scientist, lecturer, mathematician, historian, columnist, preservationist, environmental justice advocate, environmentalist, film consultant, and "The Artivist."

There have been five programs so far covering diverse topics such as what young people need and want from the community, affordable housing, the role of entertainment in shaping society, and more. Five programs remain. Future programs will include one focused on the importance of education in a community. Participants will include Dr. Jeannetta Betsch Cole, a cultural anthropologist and former president of two historically black colleges, as well as a native of American Beach.

Funded by a grant from Pauline and Theodore Cohen Trust.

The Gullah/Geechee Nation
Story & Song Bookstore and Bistro
Sunday, July 20, 2-3:30 p.m.
Free, but RSVP requested