Kenneth Steen and Caren Stelson
Recorded
January 11, 2021
42:35 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
ddv000442
Description
One Small Step conversation partners Caren Stelson (69) and Kenneth "Ken" Steen (53) share some of their background, discuss their experience as grandparents, talk about their earliest political memories, and reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.Subject Log / Time Code
KS says he was born in Minneapolis, raised on the North Side before he joined the military for the educational benefits. He speaks about the impact his mother had on him, and then discusses his 23 year career in the military.
CS and KS express worry about children going through the pandemic right now.
CS explains that she is currently living in a very diverse neighborhood in Minneapolis, and appreciates living among different cultures.
CS shares that her grandparents immigrated from Russia and Poland, and her family experienced extreme discrimination as Jews. She explains that she has learned about generational trauma and says she feels sensitive to the racial divide in our country.
CS says that in elementary school, she was the only Jewish kid, and even as a kid she could feel the overt or covert anti-Semitism, which informs her understanding of rhetoric used today.
CS says her first political memories were of the Kennedy/Nixon debates, and she also shares a memory of a mock election in elementary school.
KS talks about growing up in North Minneapolis, and says it was the last village of community in the city. He discusses the diversity of his neighborhood.
KS explains that he is an independent voter, and says he values authenticity in politicians.
KS says that he spent 11 of his 23 years overseas in several countries. He remembers celebrating New Years in Honolulu as a young man. He talks about the importance of exposing oneself to different cultures and places.
KS talks about moving forward after the pandemic, reflecting on the future that children will be moving towards.
Participants
- Kenneth Steen
- Caren Stelson