At Maxwell School, the discussion about citizenship gets a new perspective – Syracuse University News

The iconic statue of the first president in Maxwell's first floor foyer is flanked by a new collection of portraits from Robert Shetterly's “Americans Who Tell the Truth” series. It is part of the school's broader effort to make its physical space more representative of its diverse community.

For nearly a century, at the north entrance to the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, a lone statue of President George Washington greeted all who entered the school. As a former farmer, surveyor, Revolutionary War hero, and the first president to preside over the Constitutional Convention, his presence was an important reminder of Maxwell students' duties and responsibilities as citizens.

Two years ago, the first president was joined in the building's foyer by other voices and individuals with the release of a collection of portraits from Robert Shetterly's “Americans Who Tell the Truth” series, part of the Maxwell School's broader effort to preserve its physical space make it more representative of its diverse community. The exhibition of portraits alongside the famous founder – titled “A Conversation with George Washington” – is now in its second installment and is designed to encourage contemplation and discussion around the topic of citizenship.

A portrait of Emma Tenayuca is included in the latest installation of Robert Shetterly's series, among others. At age 16, Tenayuca became a vocal advocate for Mexican-Americans and other workers in her home state of Texas.

Some may be surprised to see contrasting figures like Olympic gold medalist and world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who was stripped of his titles and sentenced to five years in prison for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War while fighting for civil rights Black Americans. “We wanted to engage viewers to learn more about how and why someone like Muhammad Ali had something to say about citizenship,” says historian Gladys McCormick, who leads the initiative as the school’s associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion .

The surprise is intentional, but not intended as a confrontation. The artist's website states: “The portraits are the opposite of hot takes or quick opinions. They invite you to reflect on a person, their words, and the themes that inspire their life journey, their work, their activism, and their imagination. And then they welcome you to this important conversation – across time and space – about what it means to be an American citizen.”

The update also includes profiles of famous and lesser-known activists working on disability rights, environmental sustainability, rural issues and voting rights, among others.

“The latest portraits are drawn from portraits that the school included in the first edition of the collection,” says Stephanie Williams, who works alongside McCormick as the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategic initiatives specialist. “We wanted to include people who represent issues that we believe are important to members of our community.”

“We also always have two portraits that bring responsibility to the table, in this case military veterans and an investigative journalist,” adds McCormick, referring to Paul Chappell and Ida Tarbell, respectively.

McCormick and Williams are in discussions with Maxwell colleagues to organize a series of events related to the new installation. On October 8, Professor Tina Nabatchi, director of the Program for Advancing Research on Conflict and Cooperation, led a workshop on civic skills for civic life that modeled the goals of the conversation with Washington. In the spring, they will host additional workshops that will lead conversations on challenging topics such as justice and responsibility.

In addition to Muhammad Ali, the second collection includes:

• Ady Barkan
  Diagnosed with ALS in 2016, Barkan shifted his advocacy from economic and labor reform to America's health care system. He spent the last seven years of his life advocating for Medicare for all.
• Wendell Berry
  A prolific author, Berry draws attention, among other things, to the destructive effects of large-scale factory farming on rural communities. A fifth-generation farmer from Kentucky, he farms his land using horses and organic fertilization methods.
• Paul Chappell
  After leaving active service, the former Army captain focused on the idea that society should train individuals to wage peace, just as they should train soldiers for war. He is the author of six books and founder of the Peace Literacy Institute.
• Shirley Chisholm
  As the first Black woman in Congress, Fighting Shirley introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation and fought for racial, gender and economic equality. She was the first black woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, winning 28 delegates despite being banned from televised debates.
• Robin Wall Kimmerer
  As a biologist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Kimmerer combines science and indigenous wisdom to advocate for a deeper relationship with the land and legal recognition of natural rights. As a distinguished teaching professor at the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry, she works with the Haudenosaunee people of central New York on land rights recovery and restoration efforts.
• Alice Paul
  As chief strategist for the campaign for the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, Paul used “actions not words” such as picketing and hunger strikes to advance federal reform. After being arrested, beaten and force-fed, she and other members of the National Women's Party continued to fight until it was voted out.
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton
  Stanton helped organize the first U.S. women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, drafted women's rights and advocated for women's suffrage. She also worked on reforming marriage and property laws, as well as on educational and religious issues.
• Ida Tarbell
  Among many influential works, Tarbell's 19-part series for McClure's “The History of the Standard Oil Company,” an expose of how the corporate monopoly exploited the public, is considered one of the most important journalistic works of the 20th century.
• Emma Tenayuca
  Tenayuca became a vocal advocate for Mexican-Americans and other workers in her home state of Texas at age 16. Blacklisted after the largest uprising in San Antonio history, Tenayuca left the state and returned 20 years later as a teacher to migrants.