On Nov. 1 Brandon Vaidyanathan, associate professor of sociology, brought together Seth Kaplan, a leading lecturer at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and G.S. “Mack” McCarter, founder and coordinator of Community Renewal International for a discussion on Kaplan’s new book Fragile Neighborhoods.
The event was sponsored by the University’s Institutional Flourishing Lab, where Vaidayanathan serves as director, and was held in the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center. Vaidyanathan, Kaplan, and McCarter discussed how Kaplan’s book can be used as a guide to repair society.
Vaidyanathan provided background to the audience, elaborating on his career spent examining human nature and how it informs our organizational institutions. He explained that his most poignant question is how society ensures that these institutions flourish so that people flourish too. Lately, Vaidyanathan has grappled with the darker aspects of human nature and how in 2023, people seem to be at odds with what makes them truly human: connection. Without connection, institutions begin to break down, mere reflections of our siloed state, he said during the discussion. Kaplan and McCarter provided attendees with a history of how society arrived at this place and what to do about it.
Following the discussion, Vaidyanathan noted that “the event's focus on the importance of strengthening local institutions and communities is deeply aligned with the University's goal of serving the nation by integrating truth and reason to address real-world challenges in pursuit of the common good.”
Kaplan astounded attendees with staggering statistics on increasing rates of premature death, drug overdoses, loneliness, and mistrust, all of which he attributes to “our fractured network and ‘placeless’ society.” Kaplan honed in on lifespan, one of the best proxies of well-being, noting that for the last “40 years (the U.S. has) been diverging from other developed countries.” In short, he said, something is deeply wrong.
Kaplan said many are quick to turn to the government, hoping that policy reform will bring sweeping change to the members of our nation. He argued that federal institutions would not be a saving grace and believed answers lie in a localized solution. In critiquing federal institutions for being overly “big picture," he asked the crowd to think about how “beautiful (our) roads are and how miserable (our) neighborhoods are.”
Our neighborhoods have become increasingly secluded, spawning alienation and a general distrust of others. Kaplan lamented that, without trust, individuals can no longer seek solace in their community. They are afraid to show vulnerability and feel forced to reckon with their problems alone. Kaplan suggested the need to strengthen this neighborhood network to make real change and that means looking to the assets within a community, mainly its local charities, churches, schools, and of course its residents. He concluded his portion of the presentation emphasizing to attendees that “we look for big solutions in America but our biggest problems can only be solved locally.”
Then “Mac” McCarter took the lead, stating that local institutions must bring it upon themselves to break down these societal walls. They need to be beacons of hope for their community members, offering a warm neighborly embrace. It is simply not enough to exist within a neighborhood, institutions have to actively participate in its network, he said. McCarter pointed to churches as an example, noting that they exist as gathering places, but have limited impact on the neighborhoods they exist in if their congregation is coming from two towns away.
It may be a challenging undertaking, but McCarter is living, breathing, proof that local problems need local solutions. McCarter takes a special interest in relationships, both positive and negative. McCarter stated that “if society is truly a system of positive relationships, then the world can be healed.” In testing this theory, he said he set his sights on his hometown of Shreveport, LA.
McCartner knows his hometown to its core and in founding his nonprofit, Community Renewal International, he encouraged the audience to become just as well acquainted with their neighborhoods. In Shreveport, he established the “We Care Team” whose mission was to bring community members together in the most literal sense. McCarter just wanted them to shake hands and get to know one another. Breaking down this barrier, however small it may seem, creates a network of open communication where neighbors feel empowered to share their successes and failures. McCarter proudly reported that since establishing the “We Care Team,” “crime has fallen 50% in Shreveport.”
In front of a crowd of University faculty, staff, and students, the discussion drew legitimate questions about what the University community can do from a faith-based approach to impact the local neighborhood. Kaplan and McCarter believe The Catholic University of America has a responsibility to its neighbors, not just its faculty, staff, and students. In launching the Institutional Floursing Lab and hosting discussions like this, Vaidyanathan said he seeks to dive deeper into our role as an institution and what it can do to make impactful change in Washington, D.C.
While discussions like this one are enlightening, students and faculty are encouraged to think critically about ways to engage with the Brookland neighborhood. They can also connect with the Institutional Flourishing Lab by contacting Angela Buckley at mayerle@cua.edu. Lastly, students should welcome the opportunity to take one of the many sociology courses offered on campus as they provide hands-on community engagement experience.