Great Decisions 2020-2021 Report
July 1, 2020 – April 23, 2021
Great Decisions has had another successful year. We began meeting virtually in the Spring of 2020 due to the Coronavirus and the closing of the Benicia Public Library. Great Decisions Extension met monthly July through December for a total of six meetings. Great Decisions Extension focuses on topics selected by the participants. Our discussions may focus on a book, an article or series of articles on a chosen topic, a Ted Talk or other video, podcast, or interview, or may be open ended on a topic of current interest. Our six meetings in July through December all focused on current events. We discussed the political conventions, the ongoing campaigns both national and local, the pandemic, Black Lives Matter, Mary Trump’s book, the election and its aftermath to mention a few topics.
Great Decisions completed a successful eight-week program covering international issues ranging from China in Africa, the Role of the World Health Organization, and the Two Koreas.
We held meetings via Zoom, presented the weekly documentary, and held discussions in small breakout groups. We were again cosponsored by the Benicia Public Library. The library purchased Great Decisions eBooks which they made available to library patrons. We had participant groups that ranged from over forty screens to twenty-five screens. Several screens at each meeting had two participants. We welcomed a number of new members. Thanks to all those who helped make this online project a success, Sandy Coury, Niles Medders, Barbara Houseman, Jane Keene, Dick Awenius, Jerry Hayes, Susan Neuhaus and Annie Potter. And thanks to everyone who participated and shared their ideas.
We have begun planning for our 2021 Great Decisions Extension program which will meet one Monday evening each month beginning in June. We will meet Mondays at 7:00 pm virtually on Zoom at least until the Benicia Library reopens. The first meeting will be June 28th and the first topic will be to read and discuss Isabel Wilkerson’s book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent. Other topic suggestions already made include reading and discussing the book Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again by Robert Putnam, voting rights, where the Republican Party is going, climate change, and California and water. Everyone is welcome. To find out more, please email Niles Medders at lwvsolano [at] gmail.com.
