15 Comments
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Deborah Smith's avatar

Chris, I have always admired your writing. This piece, though, raises my admiration to a new height. Powerful, thoughtful, inspirational and sobering. Ultimately honest and hopeful and challenging. Thank you!

KG's avatar

Ken Griffin

Exceptionally well written article and reminder that we each have the opportunity and responsibility to contribute to our nation rising towards the ideals it declares.

Martin Ericson's avatar

Thank you, Chis, for this thoughtful piece beautifully written.

Bill's avatar

Thank you, Chris. Just get us through the next few years.

Norman J. McCullough's avatar

We must all play a role. It is important, especially for whites.

Wendy McConnell's avatar

On the surface that seems true.

Racism is embedded in our structures. What we are seeing now is simply an amplification of what has always been inside of our structures. It will take all of us to work much longer than a few years to counter and transform this. All of us.

Imaging. Study. Engage. Organize. Leave a legacy of change.

Noelle Rhodes Scott's avatar

Thank you, Chris. It is vitally important that we don’t give up on our country as a whole. or our state or county. That’s a huge challenge right now. Thank you for reminding us that we are not the first to face huge obstacles to overcome in this supposed land of the free.

Jessica Castrodale's avatar

This is incredibly comforting and inspiring. Thank you for penning these sentiments so beautifully.

Wendy McConnell's avatar

“a hopeful vision of the America that still could be”

Race was created as a political tool to divide us but also so the dominant group wouldn’t notice we are being exploited. If race is the single best predictor of outcomes today then we should all study the forces that created and used and continue to use it today. This hierarchy truly is at the heart of what ails us today.

Thank you for your willingness to articulate that in this moment. We must get this right or it will get us all.

Imagine. Study. Engage. Organize. Leave a legacy of change.

Norman J. McCullough's avatar

You have my vote. Hughes is correct but Concord, more than others, has a long way to go. Peace.

LC Glover's avatar

Thank you, Chris! This is excellent!

Jim Love's avatar

Excellent piece and meaningful reminder.

Vicki Isenhour's avatar

Splendid article, Chris. You have given us food for thought and painted a most accurate assessment our country/community today. The Fourth was tough for me this year. But you eloquently reminded us that we can be part of the solution and supplied us with pointers and incentives to move forward!!!

Tom Daoust's avatar

No matter how great our country becomes there will always be those who lament the glass is not full. Let’s wait and see if Mayor Mamdani can make prosperity overflow in NYC with free everything and no millionaires or businesses paying taxes. Isn’t this the experiment that has failed each time it was tried?

Carol H Anderson's avatar

You inspire us to acknowledge there is work to do in leaving this country better than we when we arrived. We honor the sacrifices of those in our past by promoting a better future for this nation’s generations to come. Thank you for your encouragement.