The man in the circle is Abraham Lincoln. I want you to squeeze in next to him, on that platform, and listen to what he has to say about our controversy in 2017 (and beyond) over historical monuments. He’ll share ideas that go directly to the simmering tensions over race, nation, inclusion, and diversity. I want you to sit right there with him in the red circle, reliving Lincoln’s day at the Gettysburg cemetery.

A few weeks ago, I helped other leaders like you sit there with him. Here’s their reaction: Dan, it’s the best session you’ve ever done; Dan, it was a great workshop; Dan, we’re still thinking about what you said.

So, on Friday, December 8, from 11:30am to 1pm, I invite you to give yourself an early Christmas present–a gift of excellent food, wonderful dialogue, and meaningful insights on one of the most explosive public and leadership topics of this year: how to interpret and understand historical monuments and memory. You are a leader and this is a conversation you must not avoid. This is the second edition of my “Your Choice of Marble” workshop, requested by people who couldn’t fit the first workshop into their schedule. Sign up now and here’s what going to happen on December 8:

You’ll immerse in Lincoln’s day was when, in southeastern Pennsylvania, he helped to transform a moment of the American past into a monument of American history. As both witness and participant, Lincoln the president, Lincoln the commander-in- chief, and Lincoln the citizen was part of the effort to understand, interpret, and honor the carnage that was the Battle of Gettysburg.

Today, as Americans we are in confusion and turmoil over our shared American experience. We argue and protest, sometimes with violence and injury, over what, who, and how to remember from the American experience. And unlike such natural disasters as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, this sort of struggle doesn’t seem to bring out the best in Americans and all too often reveals the worst. It is the worst that drives so much of the media coverage, punditry analysis, and cycle of despair that emerged in Charlottesville and other places.

I offer you a chisel and a block of marble. It is the true and real story of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. You and I will re-live the experience of the ceremony that included his famous Gettysburg Address. We will also re-live the experience of the broader day at the ceremony as well as look at what brought Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address back to life and down to us today. From this many-layered story, you will, as a leader, learn to
mark a path that other people can follow—toward a more humane and positive understanding of today and tomorrow’s history in an American community.

Take a little time for yourself and your leadership. Participate in my Leadership Now Workshop “Your Choice of Marble: Abraham Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address, and Monuments of History.” As I said above, the Workshop will be from 11:30am to 1pm on Friday, December 8, at Capital Grille in downtown Indianapolis. Tickets are $75 per person (lunch, session, and voluntary follow-up that is private and individualistic). Seating is very limited. Contact me at 317-407- 3687 or email dan@historicalsolutions.com to reserve one or more seats.