In his Milwaukee Journal Sentinel column, Eugene Kane yearns for the creation of a so-called cosmopolitan canopy in his community, saying that it would be a great way to bring the city together.
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More and more, I find myself dreaming about a cosmopolitan canopy.
In my mind, it’s a special place.
It’s a city like Milwaukee where different groups of people — young, old, white, black, Latino, etc. — regularly find ways to enjoy their public spaces free from tension or anxiety. A place where even though many live in segregated areas, everybody finds a way to get along when it’s time to come together under one roof.
Elijah Anderson, an acclaimed professor of sociology at Yale University, is the author of a new book called “The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life” (W.W. Norton & Co.) that envisions a possible solution for many daunting problems facing society.
During an interview with NPR, Anderson talked about the cosmopolitan canopy as any number of places in a diverse city where residents feel free to drop defenses and interact with strangers. It can be a popular farmers market or shopping mall or even a public holiday celebration.
Read Eugene Kane’s entire column at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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