Tennessee Voices, Episode 361: David Whitfield and Trisha Elcan, Ensworth School
Political polarization, social media and "other-ization" are contributing to a breakdown in trust and human relations in our society.
But giving up on civil discourse is not an option for leaders such as David Whitfield and Trisha Elcan, who in June organized their fifth annual Tearing Down the Walls conference at Ensworth School in Nashville.
Whitfield, an educator and community engagement and inclusion director at the school, and Elcan, a school founder and community leader, come from very different backgrounds -- he is Black and she is white --, but they are united in purpose. They discussed Tearing Down the Walls on this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast.
He was her daughter's teacher and when national politics created divisions among the student body, they teamed up on creating a way to bring students and leaders from across the globe together in a space of safety where ideas are welcome, listening is essential, and making mistakes at the table is okay and not a reason to be "cancelled."
They also discussed their origin stories, their passions and their progress with Tearing Down the Walls.
Elcan and Whitfield have created a model that would benefit others who seek to find the humanity in each other but may not always know how to start.
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About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
Watch past episodes: Tennessee Voices videocast
Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee. He is of Colombian and Cuban descent, has studied or worked in several Spanish-speaking countries, and was the founding editor of Gaceta Tropical in Southwest Florida. He has lived in Tennessee since 2014. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Video podcast: David Whitfield and Trisha Elcan, Ensworth School
