I have read so many comments of people who are at the brink of despair, who say they don’t recognize this country anymore, who make historical references to some of the darkest eras in world history. I understand all of this and yet I say, do not give up or give in.
This is still your America.
Look to the thousands of passionate candidates who are inspired and seeking to serve at all levels of national, state, and local government. This is still your America.
Look to the teachers, social workers, nurses, and all the others who spend long, difficult, hours to make this country better. This is still your America.
Look to those marching, and organizing, and volunteering, and digging deep within themselves to create a nation with less racial, social, and economic injustice. This is still your America.
Look to all the people who say it is not right that our fellow Americans should be hungry, or forgotten, or scared. This is still your America.
Look to the artists, the mentors, the dreamers. This is still your America.
Look to the innovators of alternative energy, the scientists unlocking the mysteries of our universe, the poets who channel the human spirit into words. This is still your America.
Look to professional soldiers and their families — so few sacrificing so much in service of the country. This is still your America.
Look to the city bus driver who waits patiently for an elderly rider, the crossing guard who gives the children a bright smile, the doctor who volunteers to treat the homeless, the ranger in a national park who introduces a city kid to the wonder of tall trees. This is still your America.
I still travel a great deal, have my entire adult life. And I firmly believe in an insight about my fellow citizens that was so eloquently stated by Alexis de Tocqueville: “The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”
I believe this nation has some deep faults, ones that have come into the glaring light of day in recent years. I believe many who have been more marginalized in our society knew those faults were there, even while so many people were blinded by privilege. But I believe that many millions now are clear-eyed about the challenges ahead.
You are determined to fight and VOTE. To repair is not easy work. But I believe it is already underway. This is still your America.