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Deke Copenhaver

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    Leadership

    Prayers from a former mayor: Ending our divides starts with us

    Deke Copenhaver
    November 09, 2022
    red and blue divide
    Westend61/Getty Images

    Copenhaver, a former mayor of Augusta, Ga., is founding Partner ofStarts With Us and author of “The Changemaker: the Art of Building Better Leaders.”

    During a recent healing service at my church, I was asked by the two priests officiating what I would like for them to pray for before they anointed my head with oil. I almost couldn’t believe what I was asking for when I simply replied, “Please pray that our nation gets through the midterm elections with no political violence.”

    In the wake of the senseless attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, I now pray that political violence (across the ideological spectrum) hasn’t sadly and sickeningly become our “new normal.”

    Having served nine years as mayor of Augusta, Ga., I can attest firsthand to the fact that politics are not for the faint of heart and have always involved negative rhetoric. During my time in office, there was a seemingly endless stream of issues our local government dealt with that became heated, but never turned truly dangerous. Even in the midst of our most controversial issues, I continued to intentionally interact with people at the grassroots level in all areas of our city in order to keep my finger on the pulse of our community. I was always aware that I had vocal detractors but at no time did I fear for my safety. When I exited office nearly eight years ago, I would have never imagined the dangerous state our nation finds itself in during a critical juncture in history at a national and global scale.

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