Aug 27 2024 33 mins 2
In our first episode, former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, now Director of University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP), discusses the vital connections between rural and urban America. She shares her experiences growing up in a small town and explains the goals behind IOPs recent Bridging the Divide conference to bring rural and urban Americans together. The conversation touches on the importance of authentic storytelling and the ways in which rural and urban spaces need each other.
Episode Highlights:
00:26 Sen. Heitkamp on Rural-Urban Connections
01:42 Growing Up in North Dakota
04:37 The One Country Project
08:13 Sen. Heitkamp's Seminar, "Policies and Politics to Heal America's Regional Divide"
09:06 Economic and Cultural Contributions of Rural America
13:11 Institute of Politics Bridging the Divide Conference Reflections
22:45 Future Initiatives and Hometown Internships
23:49 Challenges and Misconceptions of Rural America
30:43 Sen. Heitkamp's Love of Extension
More Information:
Heidi Heitkamp, Institute of Politics, https://politics.uchicago.edu/fellows/former-fellows/heidi-heitkamp
Institute of Politics, Bridging the Divide Conference, https://politics.uchicago.edu/get-involved/bridging-the-divide
Sarah Smarsh and Rhymefest: Transforming Narratives, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIPdHhZV0w8
UMN Extension, How to shift the rural-urban discussion toward an appreciation for interdependence, https://extension.umn.edu/community-news-and-insights/how-shift-rural-urban-discussion-toward-appreciation-interdependence
UMN Extension, Rural-urban interdependence resources, https://extension.umn.edu/community-development/rural-urban-interdependence
Benya Kraus, mentioned during this conversation, served on the planning committee for IOP's Bridging the Divide conference. Benya is the co-founder of Lead for America, https://www.leadforamerica.org/.
Questions, feedback, want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected]
