Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, and author of the important and thought provoking book The Death of Why?: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy, Andrea Batista Schlesinger discusses how people have lost sight of the power and value of questions. She points out that debates over critical issues will not be solved by simple answers. She believes people have been besieged by cultural forces that urge us to avid critical thinking and objective analysis. She offer ideas for moving past the comfort zone and asking the important question of Why?
Andrea Batista Schlesinger is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.
The show airs live on Tuesday, August 4, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.
Author and Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy Andrea Batista Schlesinger discusses how people have lost sight of the power and value of questions. You will learn:
* How asking questions is empowering for citizens in a democratic society
* Why the education system is failing to develop good citizens
* Why civics courses, that nurture an involved citizenry, are essential
* How to become a more involved citizen in your own local community
Andrea Batista Schlesinger (photo left) is currently on a leave of absence as the Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. During her tenure as Executive Director, Andrea Batista Schlesinger applied her background in public policy, politics and communications to lead the effort to turn the Drum Major Institute, originally founded by an advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement, into a progressive policy institute with national impact.
Under Andrea's leadership, DMI has released several important policy papers to national audiences; produced the only progressive analysis of the immigration debate addressing the concerns of the squeezed middle-class; created its Marketplace of Ideas series, which highlights successful progressive policies from across the country; launched two policy blogs that reach several thousand readers each day; and, launched a national program to connect college students from under-represented communities to careers in policy. Andrea has doubled DMI's staff, capacity and budget, making it a leading source for progressive ideas.
Andrea's new book called The Death of Why?: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy was released in 2009. She highlights individuals and institutions working to cultivate new forms of inquiry that can reinvigorate our democracy through enhanced curiosity and healthy skepticism. Inquiry is what drives democracy, she argues, because it enables citizens to ask what kind of society they want to live in and to demand thoughtfulness from the leaders they choose.
Andrea studied public policy at the University of Chicago. Before DMI, Andrea directed a national campaign to engage college students in the discussion on the future of Social Security for the Pew Charitable Trusts and served as the education advisor to Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer. She has been profiled in publications including the New York Times, New Yorker magazine, Latina Magazine and in 'Hear us Now,' an award-winning documentary about her tenure as the student member of the New York City Board of Education.
In media outlets from NPR to The Huffington Post, Andrea is turned to for her forward-thinking analysis on America's greatest challenges. She has appeared on television shows including CNN’s 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' and has been published in publications including The Nation, New York Newsday, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Mississippi Sun Herald, New York Daily News, Alternet.com, Tom Paine.com, New York Sun, Colorlines Magazine, The Chief-Leader, and City Limits magazine.
She was named a '40 under 40 Rising Star' by Crain's New York Business in 2007, a “Next Generation of Political Leaders in New York' by City Hall Newspaper, and received a LatinaPAC Dolores Huerta Award for 'making great strides in promoting progress in our community.' She serves on the Editorial Board of The Nation, and the boards of the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, WireTap and the Applied Research Center. Andrea has presented at numerous conferences, including Take Back America, Institute for Women's Policy Research, YearlyKos, and Facing Race. She was recently appointed by New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to the New York City Traffic Mitigation Congestion Commission.
My book review of The Death of Why?: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy by Andrea Batista Schlesinger.
Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.
If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.
To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832
Let's talk with Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, and author of the important and thought provoking book The Death of Why?: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy, Andrea Batista Schlesinger as she discusses how people have lost sight of the power and value of questions. She points out that debates over critical issues will not be solved by simple answers. She believes people have been besieged by cultural forces that urge us to avid critical thinking and objective analysis. She offer ideas for moving past the comfort zone and asking the important question of Why?, on Blog Business Success Radio.
