By Ruth Baum Bigus
Special to The Chronicle
We’re living in very divisive times with the negative tone of rhetoric at an all-time high. Conversations centered around the pressing issues of the day are often heated and discerning fact from fiction is more challenging than ever.
One Kansas-City based nonprofit organization, American Public Square at Jewell, is hard at work trying to change both the tone and quality of public discourse with two members of the local Jewish community leading the way.
Ambassador Allan Katz and Alana Muller are working diligently to share APS’ mission of bringing civility back to the public square. Founded in 2013, APS is the brainchild of Katz, who moved to Kansas City after serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Portugal. Katz had worked in the area of civil discourse after having launched a similar organization while living in Tallahassee, Florida, after a fracturing debate over a local coal plant. A city commissioner at the time, Katz formed Village Square, a non-partisan public educational forum that continues today.
“My motivation for creating APS here in Kansas City came from encouraging civil discourse while witnessing interactions among community members getting worse, not better. I thought the idea would work here in the metropolitan area,” Katz said.
With the support of colleagues and friends including Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn and local community leader Mary Bloch “we were able to launch the effort,” Katz said.
“The basic goal of APS is to change the tone of public discourse and to create an environment where people of different perspectives can come together to find common ground and actionable paths forward,” Katz said. “That can best be done by giving one another the benefit of the doubt and not doubting one another’s motives.”
A native of St. Louis, Katz, a member of Congregation Kol Ami, is no stranger to Kansas City having earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Katz went on to obtain his law and doctorate degrees from American University before later returning to teach at UMKC. Today, in addition to being APS CEO and board chair, Katz is a distinguished professor at William Jewell College, which is also the academic home of APS.
As APS established itself in the metro area through various programs and events, Katz was introduced to Muller through mutual friends.
“I recall sitting at breakfast with my friend SuEllen Fried, when she told me about a great organization she was involved with called American Public Square,” said Muller, who is a successful local entrepreneur and a member of Congregation Beth Shalom. “I was intrigued by the notion of a forum for people to come together to discuss — in a civil, fact-based way — the tough issues that we face as a society every day. So, I joined as a member and not long after, I met Allan at a book launch event,” she said. “The rest is history.”
Muller, a Kansas City native, ventured away from the metro to attend Smith College and later to earn her MBA from the University of Chicago-Booth School of Business. She returned to the area in 1998. Muller officially came on board with APS in 2016 as its community development director.
Generally, APS provides a forum for civility, facts and perspective with a commitment to convene, educate and engage. For both Katz and Muller, their drive to see APS succeed is rooted in their Jewish values.
“I grew up in a home where the concept of tikkun olam was a basic part of our daily lives,” Katz said. “I marched for civil rights with my mother and my father was a Holocaust survivor. It was all about making a community that is a better place, what could I do to bring that to fruition, and taking action. Sitting around was never a viable option.”
Things have changed greatly since Katz’s youth — and he wanted to be part of making change.
“When I grew up, we lived in a world where people who didn’t agree could argue and then happily go out to dinner,” Katz said. “That same sense of mutual respect doesn’t exist any longer and we need to reclaim a piece of that type of interaction.”
“As a Jew, I feel compelled to seek emes, or truth, about difficult topics and to do so in a manner that allows me to attain accurate information, learn insights from others, and seize on opportunities to make a difference,” Muller said. “American Public Square’s approach to bringing people together to engage in civil, fact-based dialogue speaks directly to this value.”
In the seven years since opening its doors, APS has expanded its staff with Claire Bishop heading the team as COO and executive director. It has also increased its programs covering a wide range of topics in the categories of civic engagement, community, education, faith and health/wellness. The majority of APS programs are free and open to the public. Since March, all programming is being offered virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Coming up on Oct. 13 is APS’ annual fundraiser, Evening at the Square, a virtual event that will include an engaging and spirited panel discussion with several co-founders of The Lincoln Project. Additional upcoming programs of note include APS’ continuing series “Cocktails and Politics,” featuring U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, author of the book “Desk 88: Eight Progressive Senators Who Changed America.” On Oct. 22 (12:30 p.m.), APS teams up with The Kansas City Star for a 12:30 p.m. virtual program, “Gun Violence in Missouri: Seeking Solutions,” featuring a panel of experts to address this crisis.
All APS program listings and membership opportunities are available through the APS website, www.americanpublicsquare.org.
For Katz and Muller, their mutual passion for increasing civil discourse has resulted in a strong partnership.
“Allan and I work together very well,” Muller said. “He is one of my closest friends, allies, champions and business partners. I learn from him every day and, in the spirit of American Public Square, though we don’t always agree on the right way to get work done, we have great mutual respect and belief in one another which enables us to accomplish so much.”
Said Katz of Muller: “She is an essential part of our success. We have become very good friends and our families are very close. It’s been very rewarding.”