Giving Compass' Take:

• This InsideSources post explains how history museums might be good safe places for civil discourse across America and help bridge our increasingly-widening divides.

• How might contribute to museum resources in this regard? Which programs can help develop strong community bonds?

• Here's why a strong civil society means rebuilding trust in each other.

Our challenges are acute. According to a recent survey, 93 percent of Americans said we have a civility problem in our society. However, 81 percent of respondents believe we can discuss highly controversial topics in civil ways and 71 percent are hopeful for a more civil future.

We need more avenues to understanding one another and less arguing through social media posts. My belief — as a lifelong leader of historical institutions — is that we need to find more ways to be in community with one another ...

History museums have a key role to play in this regard as they are well positioned to foster learning and help build bridges across cultures. They remind us that we’ve faced many trying times before. And they point us toward those times in history when we’ve worked together to overcome our differences and make our country a better place.

These institutions are as relevant to the future as they are to our past and they feed the pragmatism in each of us who desire a sense of place and belonging today. A place where we feel most comfortable, most at home, the safest. History holds the power to create senses of place and community that foster civil discourse. So, the museum community — including my own institution Conner Prairie, a Smithsonian affiliate — must do more to engage Americans interested in a more civil future and inclusive communities.

Read the full article about finding community and places for civil discourse by Norman Burns at InsideSources