Josiah H. Brown

Practically Idealistic blog

The title for this blog originated with use of the term “practical idealist” in this 1996 opinion piece, which asked: “To what kind of work should a practical idealist aspire?” A century and a half earlier, Emerson, in his 1841 essay Circles, wrote: “There are degrees in idealism. We learn first to play with it academically. . . . Then we see in the heyday of youth and poetry that it may be true, that it is true in gleams and fragments. Then, its countenance waxes stern and grand, and we see that it must be true. It now shows itself ethical and practical.” John Dewey and Mahatma Gandhi embraced practical idealism in the 20th century, as did UN Secretary General U Thant. Al Gore invoked it in a 1998 speech. In the context of this blog, the term is meant to convey idealism tempered but not overwhelmed by realism: a search for the ideal on a path guided by common sense.

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Thursday, November 28, 2019

"Lighting the Way to Safe, Permanent Homes for Kids"

A number of Hearst Media CT newspapers (e.g., the New Haven Register) and the Connecticut Mirror (in longer form) published an op-ed I wrote on the occasions of Thanksgiving and National Adoption Month.

There is discussion of CASA of Southern Connecticut in broader context.

The title of the piece adapts a quotation from Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund, who said: "CASA volunteers play a unique role on behalf of some of our most vulnerable children. Their commitment, vigilance and persistence offer hope where there has been little. They help to light the way for these children—and for all of us."

10:53 am est

Friday, November 22, 2019

"White Supremacy and Privilege: Legacies of Slavery"

As mentioned here previously, Richard D. Brown (my father) is author most recently of Self-Evident Truths: Contesting Equal Rights from the Revolution to the Civil War.

Today, Yale Press posted a piece he wrote on "White Supremacy and Privilege: Legacies of Slavery."

10:40 pm est

Sunday, November 17, 2019

"Reading Instruction and Interventions in School: Science, Policy, and Practice"

The New Haven Independent published an account of the recent Literacy Forum on "Reading Instruction and Interventions in School: Science, Policy, and Practice."

A similar version is at Medium.

9:42 am est

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Blood Drive Approaching, 13 Gallons

Next week, I plan to donate blood in Hamden at the regular Friday blood drive venue; that will mark 13 gallons for me in Connecticut.

The following week of November 18-22, the Slifka Center at Yale will host a blood drive leading up to the Yale-Harvard football game.

9:38 am est

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