COMMENT – September 2024

Speeches at last week’s Democratic National Convention were focused on hope and unity. They included many inspiring quotes, but the one that most struck me was attributed to the late John Lewis. A civil rights activist and Democratic Congressman from Georgia, he was an active supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with whom he walked from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. Oprah chose one of his quotes as a call to unity, saying “No matter what ship our ancestors arrived on, we are all in the same boat now.” While this statement may refer to racial equality, to me the concept is much broader; it’s about a finding a common goal and building an inclusive society. Let’s hope that concept prevails in the upcoming elections both here and south of the border. KG