The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Karen Berry
"'We the People' means all the people." This phrase may sound familiar because it is frequently spoken in a TV ad put out by the American Civil Liberties Union. This organization defends the rights of all people nationwide, appearing in courts across the country. These are tense and divisive times as people struggle to preserve democracy when the foundations of our nation's principles feel threatened. The U.S. Constitution is a declaration of "We the People." To see this as all the people is to embrace the diversity all people represent.
We have had a difficult time accepting our nation's diversity. Whether it is racial issues, religious issues, gender issues, political parties, economic classes, levels of education or citizenship status, people have a hard time accepting each other. DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs took a hit during this past year. These programs are intended to address historical and systemic disparities based on race, gender, ability, and sexual orientation. These programs were canceled, defunded and experienced staff firing as the haunting phrase "culture wars" emanated from places of power and from people too ready to fear "the other" rather than trying to know and understand.
A few years ago, a relative in Maine sent us a picture of a yard sign she saw in her neighborhood. We liked it so much that we decided to make one for our yard too. It is a compelling reminder to love everyone who is different from you because everyone is a neighbor: "Love your neighbor who doesn't look like you, think like you, love like you, speak like you, pray like you, vote like you. Love your neighbor, no exceptions." Ever since we posted the sign, we have received nothing but positive responses. People stop to read it, take pictures of it, comment on it and thank us for it. The sign, outside our front yard fence, has never been vandalized. This tells me that people really are willing to embrace diversity. People are tired of hatred and division. People, at their core, are decent, caring human beings.
When tragedy strikes or natural disasters occur or food banks run empty, people are so good about coming together to help those in need. Political parties or religious affiliations just don't matter at such times. The differences melt away, and human goodness takes over. When reporting on the mass shooting at a Minnesota Catholic church last August, John Grosso, the digital editor of the National Catholic Reporter, described his experience of working on the story and reading the shooter's social media rant "filled with racist, antisemitic and anticatholic bigotry." He went home in a funk, but his little girl asked him to sing one of her favorite bedtime songs, "It's a Small World." He said he got to the third verse and then "lost it." These are the words: "Mother Earth unites us in heart and mind, and the love we give makes us humankind. Through our vast wondrous land, when we stand hand in hand, it's a small world after all." He went on to say that the implosion of our democratic norms and the continued weaponization of our faith are all so complicated and difficult to bear. "Yet there I was singing a song that preached a solution that is so simple: love."
Labels don't help us to embrace our diversity of ideas. Calling Republicans conservative and Democrats liberal, as if those are dirty words, will not bring about the compromises that make our Union stronger. In order to honor diversity, one needs to have a tremendous amount of respect. Diversity is not about compromising with people acting lawlessly. We need not bend to the will of someone with a different opinion just to show acceptance of their viewpoints. Honest dialogue aimed at understanding the other's position on political issues is a way to move forward without shutting someone out. It's not easy, but the willingness to try could lead to an appreciation of diverse opinions. Imagine the wisdom that comes from seeing — really seeing — both sides. The beauty and the challenge of America's melting pot is the diversity of its people.
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