Harwood is president and founder of The Harwood Institute. This is the latest entry in his series based on the "Enough. Time to Build.” campaign, which calls on community leaders and active citizens to step forward and build together.
I was just in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for a series of events in Frankfort and Clark County. In fact, I’ve been on the road almost constantly this year for our civic campaign,“Enough. Time to Build.” I’ve made my case for why America needs a new civic path everywhere from Fresno, Calif., to Flint, Mich., to Pensacola, Fla. Red, blue, purple. Urban, rural, suburban. All types of communities have invited this campaign.
Honestly, I’m exhausted. Running on fumes. But I continue to be inspired by the numerous Americans I meet who know that we can be better and do better. As a country, as local communities and as individuals. In fact, our Clark County event reminded me precisely why I embarked on this campaign in the first place.
We held the event in a local brewery in Winchester, the county seat. It reminded me of what political rallies can truly be about: rallying around what we are for. Folks from all across the community and the larger region packed the room. People sat at the bar and at high-top tables. Others crammed into folding chairs squeezed in near the brewery’s side door. I spoke from a low wooden stage, usually reserved for musicians, as the setting sun glinted off pint glasses.
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In making my rounds after the speech, I got to know local elected officials, faith leaders, community and nonprofit leaders, and residents from all walks of life. My brief conversations made it clear: People were showing up as Americans and members of their community. Not as Republicans or Democrats. Not as professionals with a certain title or socioeconomic status. Just as everyday folks who care about their community and this country.
People told me they came because they sought to believe in America again. In what we might build together in our communities and in this country. Sick and tired of our divisive politics, these folks showed up because they yearned for a new path forward. I’ve experienced something similar in all of my travels this election season. You would think being on the road constantly for nearly a year straight might dim the impact of engaging with people and hearing their stories. Yet I felt it as viscerally as ever in that Winchester brewery.
One man in particular stands out. He made a point to find me after my speech. Sporting a long beard, he wore khaki shorts and a camo baseball hat. It would be easy to meet someone like this and assume you know their politics. After all, Winchester and Clark County voted over 65 percent for Donald Trump in the past two elections.
The reality is, after nearly 10 minutes talking, I had no idea who this man intended to vote for. But I did know what really mattered to him. He owned a local construction company and he told me his crew of half a dozen men are constantly at loggerheads with each other. About how they do their work, about politics, about culture war issues. He felt the election outcome — in either direction — would only intensify the situation, not defuse it. Moreover, he didn’t think politics could address the challenges he saw facing the wider Winchester community either.
As we get closer to the election, rather than bury themselves in rampant partisanship, the vast majority of people — like this man in the Winchester brewery — are increasingly lifting their heads and looking for a real alternative to politics as usual. Of course, when everything is politicized, people have little choice but to pick teams. My point is that many Americans are tired of politics and are ready to join a different team.
What this suggests to me is that how we move forward after the election is critical. Americans today want something deeper and more meaningful than just a new president in the Oval Office. That’s why I believe so strongly in this new civic path. It is one of the best ways to help us reverse the negative conditions now plaguing society — the growing inequities and disparities, deep divides, mistrust and lack of hope.
Rather than just a means to bridge our divides or tackle a particular problem, this new civic path is a way for us to create a greater sense of purpose and meaning in our individual and shared lives. It is a way to actually rebuild trust, relationships and a sense of voice and agency. It is about fundamentally changing the underlying conditions that have been holding us back. No election can do that for us.
The good news? We can. Every time I visit a community like Clark County, I meet scores of people who are ready to roll up their sleeves and work with other Americans of goodwill to effect real change that starts locally and focuses on what matters to people in their daily lives.
I don’t believe that most Americans wake up in the morning and yearn to be Democrats or Republicans. I believe we yearn to get our lives, communities and the country moving again. On a more hopeful trajectory where our dignity is upheld, where our voices matter, where we can make a difference together. The way to do that is a new civic path.
