Dreaming of a Diverse Oasis in the City

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. Suggested Reading New AI TikTok Trend Has Gorillas Posing as Black Women, and Folks are Pissed Steve Harvey’s Gorgeous $15 Million Once…

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 โ€” young, old, white, black, Latino, etc. โ€” 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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