Amid growing polarization in America, Belfast has been on my mind.
Growing up in the 1990s, the name “Belfast” was synonymous with conflict and war, as pro-British Protestants and pro-Irish Republic Catholics fought for decades with guns, bombs, and murderous attacks. Following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which largely put to rest “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, today the city (and all of the six counties making up Northern Ireland) has made tremendous strides to put aside civil strife.