Director's Take

Glue and Thread

07-07-2022

Dear Friend of Downtown,

I’m sad, I’m confused, and maybe like you, I’m trying to figure out how to make a difference. We have been told for so long that America is the land of the free and the envy of the world.

But with shootings at a grocery store, in an elementary school, of a mayoral candidate, at a July 4^th celebration… and with two back-to-back Supreme Court rulings on gun carrying and no right to privacy for women’s healthcare decisions… it is clear that this country is being ruled by ego and fear, and no longer do we stand out as the land of the free.

The Founding Fathers, even with their faults, did not want the divisiveness or hatred that we now live with – and purposefully stated that “laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind.” When was the last time anyone was called up to be in a militia? Did anyone in 1776 foresee mass shootings with semi-automatic weapons while defending the right to bear arms? And women weren’t even mentioned in the Constitution.

Laws and institutions are not moving hand in hand with our progress.

This is deeply troubling for all of us, no matter your political stripes because I believe the extremism is a direct result of the insular, technology-driven world we’ve created around us. We’ve forgotten our proud history as a melting pot, we have lost the ability to discuss differences respectfully, and through technology, we shield ourselves – purposefully or not – from diversity and tolerance. Now I wonder if the current conversation around return-to-office policies will make our worlds even smaller? Are we becoming even more isolated by creating echo chambers that blind us to other colors, cultures, traditions, and languages?

Healthy communities and societies thrive on the kindness, love, and recognition that we give each other. We – everyone – are the glue and the thread that hold this community together. I will continue to fight for our Downtown as a place that is welcoming to all and to be that glue. And I want to do that with you.