With the constant stream of upheavals of the past few months, it’s understandable Americans are feeling weary and on edge. The nationwide response to the senseless death of George Floyd is reviving difficult conversations that we must resolve if we hope to heal and make progress. In our hearts we feel concern for others who have lost their freedom, security, and most tragically their lives. In our minds, we seek to find paths to understanding so that we can develop effective action plans so that can put an end to senseless tragedies and build stronger communities.

Effective and lasting change starts at the state level and spreads out to other states and up to Washington. In times like these when our communities are asking for change, how can we begin to understand the cultural and social issues? How can we define root causes and the effective solutions to these challenges?

Our fellow Americans are hungry for visionary leadership and you are in the best position to find these answers and develop meaningful action. We can do this by:

Listening and expressing genuine sympathy

There are times to speak and there are times to listen. In the current situation, listening can be the most powerful option for policy leaders. Listen to understand. Acknowledge and validate what you hear. It may feel good to send a statement about what you’re observing, but a more effective response is to invite conversation, show sympathy and humility, and share what your organization intends to do to help build community in a peaceful manner.

Channeling anger towards positive action

When people feel frustrated and angry, they want to take action. If raw emotion takes over, it results in rash actions. But if that anger can be directed towards positive actions that contribute to building community, it can avert destructive violence.

The anger and frustration we’re witnessing right now results from decades of poor policy and community building. As policy leaders, we research and find solutions to some of society’s most pressing issues. Building communities that focus on opportunity and safety for all is imperative. Consider ways you can genuinely listen to members of your community, take their insights into consideration, and formulate policy solutions that will address their concerns and help build a flourishing, peaceful society.  

Setting a powerful vision for a free and peaceful society

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This timeless proverb reminds us just how important it is to share a compelling vision for people to follow. Right now we’re witnessing lack of trust in associations and institutions. Instead of visionary leadership, we see calculated divisiveness for the sake of short-sighted political gain.

We need leaders to step into this vacuum and offer a vision for what a free and peaceful society can look like. We can focus on helping each other versus tearing each other down.

What policy solutions and community-building ideas can you offer, or begin working on?

There are already clear examples of Network groups offering a vision for what peaceful communities can look like. Libertas Institute in Utah champions community policing and a variety of criminal justice reforms. Washington Policy Center is engaging young people in conversations about the virtues of a free-market society that benefits all citizens. Georgia Center for Opportunity helps the unemployed find meaningful jobs that build pride in their contributions to their neighborhoods. Mississippi Center for Public Policy offers ideas for building trust with law enforcement. Pioneer Institute has a web-based hotline to help citizens report civil liberties violations.

As we move forward in addressing deep, painful issues that have divided us in the past, it’s worth remembering the Platinum Rule: Do unto others as they would want done to them. It’s time not just to focus on what we believe is the right solution, but genuinely understand what is the best solution for an entire community.

Listening, being sympathetic, channeling anger towards positive action, and sharing a compelling vision of a free and peaceful society are some immediate steps we can take in healing and then building a society that offers unlimited opportunity, abundance, and harmony for all.