The national motto of the United States is E Pluribus Unum, “Out of many — one.” A great way to experience what we as "many" have in common is to broaden your perspective. Start at home by interviewing your immediate and extended family members. As a way of listening to what is important to them, ask what organizations they belong to — clubs, religious organizations, sports associations, professional groups, etc. Then research each organization — what it does and where it operates — and come up with a way to note your family’s connections to different places across the nation and around the world through their organizational memberships. Also ask your family members what languages they studied and speak, where they have traveled nationally and internationally, and what their favorite foods are; this increases your awareness of your family’s connections to other cultures domestically and abroad. You can further increase your awareness by going through your home and identifying who made each item, where it was made, and how it got from there to your home. These cultural connections can inform your social conscience, as well as how you interpret our national motto.

— Habib Todd Boerger in Practicing Democracy at Home