Make America Kind Again

by Phyllis Bush

Originally, I was disappointed that I didn't attend the huge events in Washington or Chicago or Indianapolis. However, seeing so many people from right here in NE Indiana participating in the rally yesterday felt as though I was experiencing what democracy was intended to be. There were so many people (former students, former colleagues, friends, Facebook friends) that it was heartening to know that the people in our community want to get past the rancor, roll up our sleeves, and work to make America a place for all...to make America kind again.

The election of 2016 has taught us great Civics lessons about gerrymandering, the Electoral College v. the Popular vote, the need for restructuring our political parties, the need for us to be informed, thoughtful, and engaged citizens, and the need for us to hold our government (local, state, and federal) accountable.

Like "The Ancient Mariner," I have been telling anyone who will listen for the past six years that we are at risk of losing public education if we don't start speaking up and pushing back. Now the stakes are even higher. We are in danger of losing so much more if we don't make it our civic responsibility and duty to let our legislators know that we will not be governed by fear. We need to get informed and to speak out about the issues that are important to our communities, to our state, and to our nation.

While marches and rallies are fun and uplifting, the work of democracy is hard. Those of us who care about this nation need to get involved and to stay involved.

Since so many folks keep telling me to "Get over it," my response is this. I DO NOT PLAN TO GET OVER IT ANY TIME SOON!

###