One of my fellow state humanities council directors shared a disturbing story about a recent program they held. It was a public discussion about bias in the national media that was nearly derailed when an audience member began to scream and curse at the panelists. While order was eventually restored, my colleague noted the disrupter "wasn't the only person so emotionally attached to her viewpoints that she was visibly shaking." This account helped launch a discussion about how best to approach "hot-button" issues in our programs.

Clearly, we are living in an extremely divisive political climate. The MHC is a non-partisan organization, so I won't use this space to discuss my political viewpoints about the causes of this division. I will note that Russian government hackers have identified these divisions as a vulnerability. Much of their secret campaign was focused on exacerbating these tensions through bogus social media posts. On the whole, it has been a pretty successful strategy.

Of course, Americans hold different political views and have profound disagreements about how our government and society should be organized. Ideological conflict has been part of the American experience throughout our country's history. Even so, my fellow council directors have been debating whether civil discourse is even possible in the current political climate. Do the opposing sides have any interest in even speaking with each other? Admittedly, advocating for civil discourse in the current climate is an uphill battle, but it's one that humanities councils should not shy away from.

At the Mississippi Humanities Council, we have never been afraid to approach difficult issues. We have been able to hold civil, public discussions about such controversial issues as our state flag, Confederate monuments, and even public trust in the media. This commitment to shedding light, not heat, on controversial subjects has been a part of the Council's work since our founding in 1972.

This philosophy is behind our current Ideas on Tap series focusing on public education, supported by a grant from the Phil Hardin Foundation. In six different public forums around the state, we will bring together passionate advocates who have very different views about public education. The Parents Campaign advocates for increased funding and strongly opposes any public money for private schools through voucher programs. Empower Mississippi advocates for greater educational choices for parents, including charter schools and private school vouchers. Mississippi First supports a range of educational reforms, including a strong charter school system. These organizations are often fighting on opposite sides of legislative issues. And yet, they have agreed to sit down with their political opponents and civilly discuss their differences.