Who can argue with a $5 million donation to promote civility?

Remember the anguished plea of Rodney King: “Can we all just get along?” The L.A. victim of police brutality spoke those words 27 years ago and they still plead from his grave marker in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills. Instead of preaching hatred or violence against law enforcement, King, who passed away seven years ago, emphasized building bridges. Today, San Diegan Elaine Galinson is doing her part to help future generations get along. She has donated $5 million to endow a program that’s now promoting civil discourse among 1,700 student leaders on the UC San Diego campus so it can continue in perpetuity. “We are at a moment in our history that much respect seems to have gone away, and hate and discrimination, and even murder, have taken over our country and the world,” Galinson says. She hopes her contribution ensures that students, as they head into a world beyond UCSD, “learn how to treat one another with respect and dignity, despite having conflicting views in challenging situations.” The Galinson Campus Civility Initiative was started by her late husband Murray Galinson, former board chair of the California State University system. It operates under the umbrella of the National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) in San Diego and has expanded to more than 10 universities in the western United States. Civic leader Malin Burnham, who has worked with the center for years, also is concerned about civility. He was honored with NCRC’s 2019 Philanthropy in Peacemaking award on Saturday  [Read full story]