We weren t disappointed. I justified this indulgence in nostalgic inspiration as a proactive celebration of my own turning 50 in less than a month. Dylan s was one of the voices that cajoled me through the terrain of anti-war activism, campus revolt, sexual revolution and the black freedom struggle. For this young believer in the ideals of God, country and community, the times they were most certainly a changin . The changes reconfigured the meaning of God, country and community for many in my generation in a way that would forever alter the relationships which had predominated in our society and culture for generations.
Diversity is the buzz word of the nineties.
At a deeper level we are attempting to define the meaning of diversity and its connectedness to the ideals of a democratic society. President Clinton s dialogue on race is a welcome and long overdue conversation. This dialogue is not new at Urban Life Center. It has shaped much of our course and continues to motivate our mission and direction. Listening to Dylan reinvent himself and refashion his music without losing any of the old magic, I moved beyond nostalgia to a new appreciation of his enduring critical edge.