Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Change leaders: Emma Petty Addams, Mormon Women for Ethical Government

Opinion

Emma Petty Addams
Courtesy Mormon Women for Ethical Government

Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

Emma Petty Addams is the executive director of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, whose mission is to inspire women of faith to be ambassadors of peace who transcend partisanship and courageously advocate for ethical government.

“One of the missions of [Mormon Women for Ethical Government] is to empower everyday women of our faith to proactively use our voices in the public sphere as we improve our communities,” Addams said. “We are grateful for this opportunity to join in prayer across a diversity of faiths to remember those who are suffering and to bless our nation at this time.”


MWEG’s follows a series of foundational principles and practices to ensure continuity of its mission and vision:

  • The Six Principles of Peacemaking
  • The Four Core Attributes (Faithful. Nonpartisan. Peaceful. Proactive).
    • Faithful: MWEG will never oppose any stance taken by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nor criticize the church or its leadership. “We also recognize God’s hand in the formation of MWEG and continue to seek God’s guidance in all we do,” the group writes. “We believe in, exercise faith in, and seek to reflect in our own lives the example of Jesus Christ.”
    • Nonpartisan: MWEG is open to members of all political parties who agree to abide by the group’s principles and guidelines. MWEG does not endorse candidates or take partisan positions.
    • Peaceful: In addition to following the Six Principles of Peacemaking, MWEG is committed to civil discourse, healing the partisan divide, and “genuine honor and respect for every other human being that emerges from an acknowledgement that we are all children of the same God and, hence, sisters and brothers.”
    • Proactive: MWEG is a watchdog for ethical government and wil act “after appropriate and prayerful discussion, research, and strategizing.”
  • Focusing on ethics, including the use of “for Ethical Government” in the group’s name.
  • Closing in observance of the Sabbath.
  • Commitment to a “cooperative, synergistic organizational model.”
  • Being “a space for the schooling, growth, and development of God’s daughters” by having only women members.

I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Emma for the CityBiz “Meet the Change Leaders” series. Watch to learn the full extent of her remarkable work and perhaps you’ll become more civically engaged as well.

David L Nevins interviews Emma Addamswww.youtube.com

Read More

A Call for Respect: Bridging Divides in a Polarized Nation

political polarization

kbeis/Getty Images

A Call for Respect: Bridging Divides in a Polarized Nation

In the column, "Is Donald Trump Right?", Fulcrum Executive Editor, Hugo Balta, wrote:

For millions of Americans, President Trump’s second term isn’t a threat to democracy—it’s the fulfillment of a promise they believe was long overdue.

Keep ReadingShow less
An Independent Voter's Perspective on Current Political Divides
a person wearing a jacket
Photo by Brett Kunsch on Unsplash

An Independent Voter's Perspective on Current Political Divides

In the column, "Is Donald Trump Right?", Fulcrum Executive Editor, Hugo Balta, wrote:

For millions of Americans, President Trump’s second term isn’t a threat to democracy—it’s the fulfillment of a promise they believe was long overdue.

Keep ReadingShow less
From Diplomat to Dissenter: Why I Protest Trump’s America

A retired U.S. diplomat speaks out against the politicization of the State Department and the rise of authoritarianism, urging Americans to defend democracy.

photo courtesy of Michael Varga.

From Diplomat to Dissenter: Why I Protest Trump’s America

I love our country. I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa in the 1970s. I served as a Foreign Service Officer (diplomat) for the State Department in assignments in the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Morocco, Lebanon, and Canada in the 1980s and 1990s. Because of that love and my sense of service to this country, I have now become an anti-government rebel. I take to the streets every weekend to protest the cruel and incompetent actions of the Trump administration. I don’t even recognize my country now. A government that is sloppy in rounding up supposed immigrants and entrapping American citizens in dark vans that transport them to hidden locations by masked men is not one I can honor today. A country that targets people because they “look like immigrants” is not one I can serve today.

How does this happen? How does patriotism and love for a country translate into a call to action to fight what is happening to our nation? Here’s my story.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump's Policies: A Threat to Farmers and American Values
green farm heavy equipment on green field
Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

Trump's Policies: A Threat to Farmers and American Values

In the column, "Is Donald Trump Right?", Fulcrum Executive Editor, Hugo Balta, wrote:

For millions of Americans, President Trump’s second term isn’t a threat to democracy—it’s the fulfillment of a promise they believe was long overdue.

Keep ReadingShow less