Politics

On our blog, we share our Quote of the Week as well as other insights about our work and about our community. As our society continues to struggle with some of the same issues that Sargent Shriver focused on -- poverty, racism, inequality, war -- we believe it's important to share our stories with each other. Do you have a story to share about Sargent Shriver or about one of the issues he cared about? Share your story with us by emailing it to info@sargentshriver.org. Maybe we'll post it here!

Nov 03

"Seize Every Opportunity" to Eliminate Polarization

by Sargent Shriver Peace Institute

"Here at home there is an unease and a fear that drives the public debates and our public policies in ways that divide us one from one another. Elections are run by those who seek so-called wedge issues that prey on misinformation and demonization of the opposition. We hear that illegal...

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Oct 06

Putting the Government on Our Side

by Sargent Shriver Peace Institute

"Common existence at home starts with putting the government -- as the expression of our common will-- on the side of the consumer, the taxpayer, the individual and the community. Government must abandon those tasks that individuals, families, and neighborhoods can do for themselves. But it...

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Aug 04

Shriver on Voting Rights

by Sargent Shriver Peace Institute

Our Quote of the Week is in celebration of the 58th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965. Sargent Shriver's 1970 Address at the Polish American Congress Convention is both specific in its inclusion of references to Polish...

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Mar 08

The Effect of Polarization on Our Schools

by Sargent Shriver Peace Institute

Our Quote of the Week underlines a reality that was true when Sargent Shriver spoke these words over 50 years ago and continues to be true today: that the polarization we see in politics adversely affects our classrooms, and by implication, our young people.In 1972, Sargent Shriver gave a...

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Oct 17

Transforming Leadership in America

by Sargent Shriver Peace Institute

Our Quote of the Week invites us to reflect on the nature of leadership. It reminds us of two things: that there is a need to elevate new and diverse voices and approaches to leadership; and that within our system, winning an election and governing require two different skill sets, one of which...

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Aug 02

Seeking "a common existence"

by Sargent Shriver Peace Institute

Our Quote of the Week reminds us that to tackle society’s biggest challenges, we must transcend the “-isms” that limit and divide us – nationalism, individualism, liberalism, conservatism – and employ the values that bind us together as a human family. It is only by focusing on our "common...

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Jul 26

Developing an Environmental Consciousness --Together

by Sargent Shriver Peace Institute

Our Quote of the Week reminds us that our industries have developed in ways that undermine nature and that threaten our lives and our environment. It also highlights the fact that to change our reality, we must undertake a large-scale, collaborative international effort.In 1975, Sargent Shriver...

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Jun 07

Setting Our Own Direction

by Sargent Shriver Peace Institute

Our Quote of the Week comes from an inflection point in the history of the United States, after Watergate and the end of the war in Vietnam. Today, we continue to take to heart Sargent Shriver’s observation that we, the people, can shape events during such a moment.Sargent Shriver made these...

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