The past year has been a frightening one for many Americans. Mass shootings. Racial tension. Immigration uncertainty. Political upheaval and the feeling of a loss of America’s standing in the world. We have seen a White House administration that is in a constant state of chaos, encompassed by vulgarity, and morally bankrupt in the treatment of this nation’s security infrastructure. So, it’s not surprising that the wear and tear of not knowing what’s coming next, is starting to show.
It’s taken the form of indifference, anxiety, fear, flight, fight or resistance in a huge swath of our nation’s adults and youth. Marches, rallies, protests, and bombs are overwhelming our sense of security and normalcy. So, I want to take time to say something that needs to be said….We are going to be OK.
Since its inception, this country has experienced periods and people that seemed capable of bringing us to our knees. Fights over Native American territories, slavery, women’s suffrage, World I, World War II, Jim Crow, civil rights, voting rights, Roe v. Wade, Watergate, LGBTQ rights; the list is long. But we survived.
The framework of our constitution is strong and has navigated us through tumultuous stages. The writers of this document set out to design a country that would be different from the rest of the world. They created a uniquely flexible system of checks and balances that are responsive to threats to our democracy and capable of protecting the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In fact, the beauty of our system of government is that America today looks different than it did just 50 years ago. In 2018, we will mark the 50th anniversary of Milwaukee’s Open Housing marches, the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, and the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. We are the nation that elected Barack Obama and for those of us with some years at our backs, we appreciate what that means.
So, in the face of mounting frustration with the inability of Republicans to reign in this administration and return a sense of order to this White House, I am reminded of President Barack Obama’s final press conference in which he said “I believe in this country. I believe in the American people….. At my core, I think we’re going to be O.K. We just have to work for it.”
Let’s get to work!
