My father, Steven Dunbar, was the first born American to Croatian parents. He changed his name after graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in journalism. There were several reasons for this. He was also the only one of their five children to graduate from college. He served as a supply officer in Guam during World War II.
This two qualities form a tension in the expectations of many people who live in the United States. Can we honor, develop and engage in both at the same time?
In a multicultural society where ethnic identity is increasingly abandoned in favor of developing our individual desires, how do we also broaden or ability to relate to others?
This especially applies to people who have recently immigrated to the United States.
Dorothy is Katarina’s mother, born in 1912. Her mother passed when she was barely five years old. She was a modern woman and her father agreed to send her to college so she could support herself as an adult, which she did. She passed on in 1980, when Kit was only 33 years old. Kit was close to her mother but also very different from her both because of their personalities but also their generational social situations.
In the United States these concepts have become controversial when once they were a source of pride. Many of the central programs and institutions are not understood…both what they are and where they came from. They are cherished and depended upon even as they are threatened. These include: National Parks, Social Security, Clear Air, Clean Water, Public Libraries, Public Education….
These groups include those focused on: multiple racial identities, women, LGBTQ and Gender Neutral individuals.
The word “intersectional” signals where these grous have common concerns. The Backlash against these movements has also been fierce.
Musicians, Artists, Writers, Thinkers, Historians, Spiritualists…and so on
This is the story of Kat Dunbar’s return to her childhood home to be with her father Steven when he is facing the end of his life. Kat lives in California, Steven in a Northern Ohio suburb. This interchange is set in 1999, a time filled with pivotal social developments that have had lasting impact. Within this illustrated, multimedia story will be links to concise informative essays about issues that are referenced.
Both Kit and Dale have lived in California since the 1960s and 70s. So much took place then that both echoes concerns of today and is now mainstream in many corners of society. They are discussing the important issues of the day, and sharing perspectives from their varied ethnic and racial backgrounds with a group of diverse millennials who have come to California from other parts of the United States and the world.
