Can you help me have faith in the United States again?
I know that sheltering in place during an unprecedented pandemic is not a good time to start asking deep, existential questions about my life. And yet here I am asking: Can you help me have faith in the United States again?
In college, I majored in American Studies (with minors in Women & Gender Studies and English). I spent most of my time focused on our country’s problems. It inspired me to work to be part of the solution. I joined AmeriCorps and then Teach For America and then went on to teach in other schools focused on education as a pathway to social justice. I finally launched Montessori For All as a way to help reimagine our national public school system in order to help cultivate more purpose, joy, and justice for all.
And the entire time I felt hopeful about our country. We finally elected a Black (and awesome!) president. Gay marriage became legal. We started talking about systemic racism and white privilege.
But then Trump was elected, and he started dismantling all of the progress we had made. And I’m honestly having trouble seeing how our political system will ever be able to come back into balance. Even if a democrat is elected in 2020, the democrats won’t gain control of the House and the Senate. So then what? Just more partisanship?
What is the path toward becoming a country that takes care of its people, including taking care of the environment in which we live?
Those of you who read this blog and live in other countries: Do you feel like your country is on an upward trajectory? Do you feel like you live in a country that takes care of its people?
Those of you who are in the United States: How are you finding hope during these increasingly difficult times? Do you have faith in the United States? What is the pathway to getting back on an upward trajectory?
8 Comments
Carolyn
Hi Sarah! The Democrats control the House now, because people elected more Democrats to Congress in 2018. I hope that you’ll clarify that in this blog post.
In 2020, the map is actually more favorable for Dems to flip Senate seats. Over the past 3 years, we’ve seen a Democrat win a Senate race in Alabama, a Governorship in Kentucky, a Senate seat in Arizona, and Beto came VERY close in Texas (and helped lots of downballot candidates!). We’ve also seen progress in state legislatures (super important because they write election laws for each state and draw Congressional Districts!) in states like Virginia.
I’d encourage everyone to join Postcards to Voters to help elect more downballot Democrats now (there are special elections all the time, not just in November). It’s a fun, lowkey, introvert, and pandemic friendly way to elect inspiring people up and down the ballot.
I would also encourage you (and everyone) to go to Vote Forward and start writing and stockpiling letters for the Big Send in November. We’ll be sending lots of letters to low-propensity voters explaining why we, personally, vote. Vote Forward has been doing this for several years, and it boosts turnout!
The other thing you (and everyone) can do is to ask your member of Congress to fund vote by mail and support the post office. Absentee voting will be super important in November!
Common Cause is another great organization focused on making sure that our elections will be as free and fair as they can be. So support them as well!
I don’t know if we’ll win in November, because it depends on what we all do for the next seven months. I do know that I want to tell my kids that I wrote a lot of postcards, contacted my Congress critters, and did the best job that I could for my country. If everyone does this, I think we can turn our country around.
Sara Cotner
Hi, Carolyn!
In the post, I was trying to explain that it’s doubtful that Dems will gain control of the House AND Senate any time soon.
But I really appreciate your energy and your activism. I’m inspired by the direct action you are engaging in to increase voter turnout. I’m especially grateful for the specific organizations and suggestions!
With gratitude,
Sara
Sebrina Parker
Honestly I don’t have faith in any permanent change coming from elected figures. Even those with good ideas can’t establish change that will last. But I do believe things are going to get better in our world soon.
https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/awake-no6-2017-december/the-world-out-of-control-bible-say/
Carissa
Carolyn, you did a great job laying out some tangible ways to work for change and also tangible signs of victories over the past few years. As a Kentuckian who has worked as a community organizer for over 15 years (and also helped our KY Governor win election by just 5,000 votes last November, the same Governor who is literally saving lives every day by the decisions he is making around COVID-19) – I will say that it is hard to feel hopeful every day. But it’s all about where I put my thoughts. There are beautiful signs of progress and goodness all around us. I don’t spend much time reading about our President or even thinking about him (his policies, yes, but not him as a person). I try to focus on all of the great people working for change that I know, that I look up to. But, with that said, the longer I do this, the more energy I have to spend on hope and gratitude. It was much, much easier when I was 22. Rather than a tired 40-year old white woman of 2 small children 🙂
Sara Cotner
This is great advise, Carissa! Hope and gratitude, indeed.
Sheryl Morris
It certainly is difficult thinking positively sometimes these days.
Instead of writing at length here, I can offer up some great reading/studying I have been doing.
Riane Eisler of The Center for Partnership Studies has written “Nurturing Our Humanity,” “The Real Wealth of Nations,” and “Tomorrow’s Children” among others. I have enjoyed reading Peter Senge and Otto Scharmer about systems thinking and changing our world together. I have also started taking webinar classes at DeepTime Network hosted often times by Jennifer Morgan; so I am reading Brian Swimme for starters. All, so very hopeful. If you want to know more about any of these authors and related programs I can point you to links online. Though I, myself, like to lean into all holistic educators’ voices, Montessori was a starting point for a lot of my bigger thinking. Several of those I’ve mentioned above are Montessori fans!
Health and Well-being,
Sheryl Morris
Sara Cotner
It’s so good to “see” you here, Sheryl! I really appreciated your comments. I’m a huge fan of Riane Eisler’s partnership versus domination model, but I haven’t read the pieces you recommend. I look forward to looking into it! Sending well wishes your way.
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