Justin Rule is an American educator, and like countless other educators, he works diligently every day to develop the minds of our nation’s young people. Yet in a recent interview with News from the Notch, Mr. Rule explained he hasn’t just worked in ordinary public or private school settings. He has worked with difficult cases, teen students struggling with serious disciplinary and/or criminal issues. His valiant efforts with these challenging young people frequently got his students to graduation day, but that often did not mean those students were set on a trajectory of future success. Mr. Rule expressed regret, saying he has attended far too many funerals of former students trapped in a cycle of poverty, violence, drugs, or alcohol.

On September 24, 2016, America’s first African American president, Barack Obama, presided over the ceremony to inaugurate the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This living monument to America’s black heritage was many decades in the making, and in some respects the effort can be traced back to President Calvin Coolidge. On his final day in office, March 4, 1929, President Coolidge signed Public Resolution 107 which initiated a commission to design and construct a national monument to the Negro that would stand as a “tribute to the Negro’s contributions to the achievements of America.”

On Friday, November 11th Foundation program associate interviewed Melanie Kirkpatrick, author of the new book Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience. In the interview Kirkpatrick touched upon the themes of her fascinating book, and offers all opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the Thanksgiving Holiday and its place in American society and culture.