Keeping the Republic: A virtual discussion Event

Keeping the Republic:
A Virtual Discussion and Journal Launch Event

January 26 | 6-7:30 PM

In September 1787, after the tortuous process of drafting the U.S. Constitution had been completed but not yet made public, Elizabeth Willing Powel, a prominent society figure and the wife of Philadelphia’s mayor, asked Benjamin Franklin:

“Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”

“A republic” replied Franklin, “if you can keep it.”

Thus recounts Marty Linsky, Kansas Leadership Center friend and mentor, in a timely new article from the forthcoming winter edition of The Journal, KLC’s civic issues magazine. Against the shocking backdrop of recent events, which undermine constitutional norms that have sustained our republic for more than two centuries, Linsky goes on to explore ways all of us can contribute to renewing self-government into our nation’s third century. While just one interpretation of the challenges we face, Marty offers a starting point for a larger conversation that concerns all Americans.

Join us on January 26 for a virtual discussion and discovery about what “keeping the republic” means for each of us during these unprecedented times. The discussion will also launch the Winter 2021 edition of The Journal featuring Marty’s essay, and his words will be a resource during our dialogue.

During the event, we’ll process what has been happening in our nation and what’s needed from us – in our neighborhood, community and state – to help move our country forward. In true KLC fashion, the discourse will be civil and provocative. We’ll explore multiple interpretations and utilize the KLC leadership framework to help diagnose how we have arrived here and what the exercise of leadership looks like for Kansans going forward.

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