Friends,
Were your spirits touched by John Lewis this past week? His powerful, posthumous Op-Ed, “Together, You can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation,” and the poignant memorial services telling his story, made us think about America. And Bloomington.
They made me think about our imperfect union, and our imperfect community. His words rang like a bell: “Democracy is not a state. It is an act.” Our progress together depends upon people like Congressman Lewis, and all us regular folks, being committed to each other, to take action, committed to love and peace, and justice and truth. We can’t just live in a state of democracy. We have to act.
There is a beautiful greatness in John Lewis’s story. A Black American, believing in America’s future in spite of its past. Despite the most painful, ugly parts of America’s story, powerful patriots, like Congressman Lewis and others, these new founding mothers and fathers, call us to perfect this union, and this community.
John Lewis’s lifelong commitment to nonviolence, and to loving inclusion – making converts rather than adversaries – should inspire us in these hard days. With our national government such a shamble. With vitriol and venom coursing around us. And a virus. John Lewis calls us toward each other, rather than apart.
He calls us to remember progress is real. That we have the power. That we belong to each other. That we can change the future.
And we need each other so. We need to get through K-12 school openings. We need to welcome 30,000 IU students back. Safely. And don’t we need to fill our community with more justice – economic, racial, and climate?
The decade of the 2020s has begun, and we have to get it right. Joe Biden says we’re in a struggle for the soul of America. I think he’s right. And I believe we’re also struggling for the future of our community. What do we stand for? Do we walk the walk, and put our money where our mouth is? Are our values manifest in our community?
I hope you’ll join the effort, on how we Recover Forward. We face big challenges. We could learn a lot from John Lewis – getting in “good trouble,” keeping our eyes on the prize, and not ever giving up.
Democratically yours,
John
PS: I’ll be asking the City Council for support in our efforts to Recover Forward: First on August 12th for a 2020 investment plan, and then the week of August 17th as we present our 2021 budget. And thereafter as we consider how to carry our momentum forward this decade, with a modest local income tax increase. I hope you’ll be engaged, and help ensure we put our words and values into action.