A Post-Election Path Forward

“Gather. Do better together.”
–Tuscon Community Participant, Radical Unity “Seeds of Kindness” mural, a Mediators Foundation project.

"We can heal through local action."

I wrote this sentence on January 7th, 2021 in the aftermath of deep divisions culminating in what turned out to be a riotous and deadly march into the United States capital. At that time, I wasn't exactly sure what that meant. I, along with so much of the country felt the splintering of American society caused by the pendulum swinging recklessly from left to right and back again. Our take-no-prisoners politics rewards all the power to the victors, no matter how tight the margins. Our political system, as-is, cultivates polarization rather than working across divides. 

Nearly four years later, we are again witnessing what we thought was a statistical tie – according to the polls – build into another pendulum swing back to the right. This is what our national electoral system is designed to do, but this level of division has many of us asking, "How do we stitch this country back together?"

My answer remains: we can heal through local action. The meaning of my original remark is now clearer than ever. By focusing on the things we can control, and by listening to what community members want, we can support these communities and states to thrive. Thriving communities are also resilient to our current political swings and work to stitch together the fissures in our society by ensuring all perspectives are engaged in developing needed solutions. 

For many months, Mediators Foundation and our partners have invested in civic renewal from the ground up. We knew, regardless of the election’s outcome, that this work would be critical. Our growing national support network, which we are calling Better Together America, is taking this head-on by creating, connecting, and catalyzing community-driven civic hubs of individuals and organizations committed to working together across differences to reimagine democracy where it affects us most: in our states and communities. 

We believe that a swell of local action that builds our civic capacity, solves communities' greatest (and most controversial) challenges, and strengthens accountability between elected officials and the people can lead the way in reimagining our democracy so that it works better for us, and ultimately leads to a better national politics.

We need to be clear about what we stand for versus who we stand for or against. Our work, of, by, and for the people, is much bigger than any one person, or indeed any one party.

It is more important than ever to stand for better high-integrity and inclusive processes that bring together people of difference to collectively solve these challenges. Difference means diversity of perspective, differences in power, and differences in demographics (geography, age, race, ethnicity, etc.). We know that when diverse cross-sector and cross-generational interests come together, find common ground, and agree, a moral authority is created. Those agreements can carry great weight in ensuring their successful implementation and prove to our fellow Americans that indeed we can rise to the occasion, overcome our divides, and do big things together.  

We are already seeing this play out in countless communities across the country. In Nebraska, people from all walks of life have come together to develop and implement a strategic housing framework. In Colorado, people of seemingly insurmountable differences have collaborated on a statewide approach to address firearm death and injury. In small Marble, Colorado, they are overcoming 40 years of fighting about how to best protect the beautiful Crystal River. In Cleveland, Ohio, they are working to remake Cleveland into the "Forest City." These and countless other disparate efforts aren't a movement… yet. What they are is evidence that if we overcome our fear of being in the same room as a Trump or Harris voter and work together, we will find that people are much closer than expected, and can roll up their sleeves to solve tough problems. If we stitch together these and so many more efforts and learn from each other, we will be able to build a movement. 

The way we start this work is by listening to community needs and aspirations. While this process can be a big public undertaking, it can also be very simple. For instance, the other day I was talking to a water manager in very conservative, rural Colorado. He asked what else I was working on. I was a little nervous to tell him, but I've known him for more than a decade, so I shared that I was working on a nonpartisan project to address firearm death and injury. He asked, "So you mean, like suicide?" I responded that suicide was one of the types of death and injury we were focused on. Then he shared a story with me about someone he knew who had recently died by suicide, and that too many people end their lives in his small community because there is a sense of hopelessness. There isn't a brighter future for them: wages have dropped; costs are up; opportunities have dried up. He is trying to shore up their water resources to support his community's economic base so they can thrive. In just five minutes with one person, I got a sense of what a portion of rural Colorado is facing and the challenges they have in finding the path to community well-being.

In the end, the well-being of communities and people is what this work is all about. So let's gather. Gather across differences around our shared humanity. Work together and do better together, America.