Blog
My New Year’s Resolution: Turn the Tide.
Costco. Walmart. McDonalds. American Airlines. Starbucks. All of these major corporations have been in the news recently for their actions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): either rededicating themselves to a culture that values and prioritizes DEI (Costco) or explicitly stepping back from these commitments (Walmart, McDonalds, American, Starbucks).
While this may seem to be neither here nor there for our work, I mention it because it is both a reflection of where we are right now, as a nation, and a wake up call for those of us who are concerned about what is to come.
The fact that most of these major US corporations are stepping back from their commitments to diversity isn’t random. It is part of a broader conversation that we are having about what responsibilities, opportunities, and obligations we have to each other. This conversation is rooted in two radically different perspectives about who we are, together.
The first perspective is rooted in the belief that if we can come together across lines of difference, we can co-create a future in which all of us can flourish. The second perspective asserts that we live in a context of scarcity – limited resources and opportunity – and must embrace a “survival of the fittest” mentality. The fault lines of these worldviews are clear:
Abundance versus scarcity.Opportunity versus grievance. Solidarity versus competition. “Us” versus “them.” Love versus apathy.
The tide of recent events, as evidenced by these corporate actors and the results of the most recent elections, is flowing decidedly in favor of the latter perspective. This reflects certain realities, to be sure, but is also part of a cynical political project that seeks to stoke and benefit from a culture of grievance and scapegoating.
But tides turn. Water that has risen will soon recede. Tides that have gone out, must come in again.
This is where you come in.
This conversation about who we are, together, is a permanent conversation, much like the unceasing ocean tides. And, frankly, thank goodness: this means that we are never out of the game. We are never stuck in a place that we cannot get out of. We are always called to do our part to make our world a little bit better, to bring our community into greater alignment with our values, to give flight to the better angels of our nature.
This, more than anything else, is our inheritance of the “unalienable rights…of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Our inheritance is not that we would always be happy. Or that our side would win every election. It merely means that we will always have the freedom to do everything in our power to make the world a better place for ourselves, our families, and those around us.
This is where we come in.
For the past ten years, Maine Initiatives has been committed to two things: 1) centering racial justice in all aspects of our work, and 2) pioneering a radically participatory, community-led process of making our grants. Through these commitments, we have identified and are funding a powerful network of community-based organizations here in Maine that are on the frontlines of making our communities more just, fair, and equitable for all Mainers.
These organizations have been vetted and verified by the community. They are working – every day – to turn the tide away from grievance towards opportunity, away from competition toward solidarity. They need your support to move beyond scarcity and into abundance.
Our new MaineShare platform is your vehicle to learn about and support these organizations directly. It is your vehicle to act with love.
Now is not a time for apathy. It is not the moment to withdraw. It is the time to step up and act. Now is the time for resolve: make your New Year’s Resolution a fierce and firm determination to support racial justice in your community. To be part of turning the tide.
Take heart in the fact that we have good work to do. And join us in doing it.
With love and gratitude,Phil
