The Tennessee Voices podcast brings readers conversations with authors of insightful and compelling guest columns.
David Plazas, Nashville Tennessean, Nov 11, 2020.
A record number of Americans voted in the 2020 presidential election, and while the race has been called for one candidate, it is being contested by another.
This threatens to further polarize a divided nation, which is suffering through a pandemic, an economic downturn and excessive stress.
Nashville-area based ophthalmologist Dr. Ming Wang recently co-founded the Common Ground Network, a group that is studying the divides and researching ways to bridge them. He talked to me about this initiative on this episode of the Tennessee Voices podcast.
Wang has been interested in civic engagement and politics for some time and has supported efforts like The 917 Society, a nonprofit that works to teach eighth graders about the U.S. Constitution.
We also talked about combatting COVID-19 and the importance of wearing a mask to prevent infection.
Wang wrote his autobiography called "From Darkness to Sight" about his escape to the United States from China's Cultural Revolution with virtually no money and which led him on a path to Harvard University, a health career and a business. The book is in the works to become a feature film over the next year.
Wang is also a trained ballroom dancer and player of the erhu, a two-stringed violin from China.
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
