A Citizens League project is showing the way
In Minnesota, today is sesquicentennial minus two. Congress granted Minnesota statehood on this date 148 years ago.
That means Minnesota has two years to plan a 150th anniversary observance worthy of this special place. That would be one which springs from the ideas and values of an engaged citizenry. It would celebrate diversity while projecting a common vision. It would heighten awareness of both history and possibilities. It would enliven Minnesotans' sense of belonging to each other.
That's a tall order - which is why it's good that the Citizens League is already at work on such an observance. They call it the Minnesota Anniversary Project, or MAP 150.
As typifies the nonpartisan Citizens League, MAP 150 is being built from the grass roots up. This summer and fall, the League will convene focus groups and survey thousands of Minnesotans to identify their shared needs and concerns. That information then will be sifted through the League's patented process of broad-based, citizen-driven study, to arrive at proposals for meeting those needs and addressing those concerns.
The hoped-for result is a prescription for legislation, and much more. The project has the potential to stir a sense of shared ownership of this state, and shared responsibility for its future. IT might even help Minnesotans reclaim something that has been dangerously eroding of late - the political middle ground.
MAP 50 will be a costly endeavor. But it has already attracted support from the McKnight, Bremer and Blandin foundations, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Law and Politics magazine. It deserves the attention of more civic-minded donors.
The Citizens League project should also be the first of many undertakings by individuals and groups who want to contribute to a yearlong, statewide birthday party. A state sesquicentennial commission, appointed earlier this year, is about to begin its work. May that work included the coordination of numerous and varied plans laid by Minnesotans who want to make the sesquicentennial a year of statewide renewal.
This article originally appeared in the Star Tribune on May 11th
Blog RSS Feed