#  Civil Discourse Series: What Ties a Nation Together? 

 





November 17, 2025

 

 

     ![Civil Discourse series 2025](/sites/g/files/omnuum9911/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-11/Civil%20Discourse%20series%202025.png?itok=lykoH6vo) 

 



 

 ![Civil Discourse series 2025](/sites/g/files/omnuum9911/files/2025-11/Civil%20Discourse%20series%202025.png)

 

Desireé Melonas (from left), Harris Mylonas, Silvia Foster-Frau, and Connor Flynn.*Veasey Conway/Harvard Staff Photographer/Harvard Gazette*On November 12, the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics hosted a public forum examining one of the most urgent civic questions of our time: *What Ties a Nation Together?*

The event, part of the Center's Civil Discourse initiative, was moderated by Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School [**Nien-hê Hsieh**](https://www.ethics.harvard.edu/people/nien-hվ-hsieh). Panelists included professor of Black studies and political science **Desirée Melonas**, political scientist **Harris Mylonas**, journalist **Silvia Foster-Frau**, and U.S. Marine **Connor Flynn**, who came together to probe the sources of unity in American society.

The Harvard Gazette published [a feature on the event](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/11/what-unites-americans/), spotlighting the Center’s ongoing effort to foster civil discourse and strengthen democratic practice by bringing diverse perspectives together for thoughtful, evidence-based discussion.

The [recorded livestream of the event](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzhlLLyX9Nc) is available for viewing on the Center's YouTube channel.