The Wheatley Institute acknowledges with sadness the passing of Kate Holbrook and we express our condolences to her family and friends who feel her loss keenly. Kate’s inspiring capacity to convey the experiences and values of Latter-day Saint women was highlighted in a lecture she gave at the 2017 conference “My Grace is Sufficient: Latter-day Reflections”. The conference was co-sponsored by the Wheatley Institute, Religious Education, and the Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young University.

Wheatley Institute Sponsors Conference

After COVID-19 delays, the educators involved in the 2019 Civic Education Program were able to complete their experience with the Wheatley Institute.

We are designed for love. We’re designed to experience love eternally. This is joy. And that is grounded in family relationships, mothers, fathers, children bound together eternally. I think it’s so beautiful.

The Constitution is foundational to what we all love about America. Arizona State professor Paul Carrese noted in a lecture at the Wheatley Institute last year that “our very complex constitutional system of separation of powers and federalism inherently call for civil disagreement over both long-term and day-to-day political issues.” So, understanding the rights underlying our constitutional system and how they protect people who disagree with us is critical.

These findings hint at a generational transformation in how Americans relate to political legitimacy. Older Americans are unified in their faith in the Constitution. Middle-aged Americans are split by education, sorted into different legitimacy frameworks. And younger Americans are divided and diverse, with no dominant view and increasing weight placed on personal belief and public opinion.