Norfolk is working to build stronger communities

Conventional wisdom tells us we’re too polarized to make progress on the issues that matter to people, let alone for people with different views to see and hear one another. But Norfolk is working hard to overcome division, ignite engagement, move forward — and create renewed hope.

The challenges here are real. People across the city want more affordable housing and to feel safer in their communities. They want improvements to their school buildings and to close the disparity gap between schools on the west and south sides. They want Norfolk to be a community where people can envision retiring, where renters and homeowners alike are invested in their neighborhoods, and where youth are more involved.

But where to start — and how? On Thursday, I’ll be in Norfolk to speak about our recent report, “Civic Virus:

Why Polarization is a Misdiagnosis,” and its implications for how the community can move forward. The report shows that the unrelenting noise, fears and isolation people are experiencing in their daily lives is leaving them in the grip of a fight-orflight response. People are separating into smaller camps or retreating from civic life entirely. They tell us they trust only God, themselves and those they know personally. It’s easy to feel like we can’t find a way to get things done. Do we as a society hold anything in common anymore?

I’ve been helping communities come together to address fault-lines and strengthen their civic culture through community-driven change for 35 years. My work has spread to all 50 states and 40 countries. I was just in Reading, Pennsylvania, and Alamance County, North Carolina, where people have stepped forward to produce common agendas amid their real differences — and where they’re taking action. They’re proving that, under the right conditions, real, practical change is possible.

The solutions are right here in Norfolk, too. In fact, they’re already happening.

In 2020, Norfolk began applying the principles of the Harwood approach in many of the city’s 120 neighborhoods.

Rather than getting mired in divisive political and cultural issues, or making false promises of unrealistic large-scale change, the city of Norfolk, alongside civic leaders and residents, has begun to ask: What are our shared aspirations? They’re bringing people together through leadership breakfasts and civic engagement cohorts. Through the Block by Block grant, they’re supporting neighborhood signs and other neighborhood-driven projects.

Residents have also partnered with the city on neighborhood pop-ups, such as ice cream socials, that bring residents — across generations, race and religion — out of their homes and into their communities. These particular efforts may seem small; what matters is that they show that people can come together to get things done.

Make no mistake, we cannot talk our way to the future we want. Nor can a single person, group or organization drive this work. To create progress, we must not vilify each other or give in to the ugly politics of today. Instead, we need to identify and carry out concrete, achievable projects — often starting at the neighborhood level — to restore people’s belief that we can get things done together.

There is work to do. Norfolk residents need to see themselves not merely as consumers of services, but champions of where they live. When I travel to Norfolk to kick off the IGNITE speaking series,

I’ll be sharing how to do this — the key steps communities need to take to move forward.

This community, like communities across the nation, has what it takes, in practical ways, to make progress. Tensions are real, but our hope is stronger. Norfolk can be a beacon for the rest of the nation, reflecting the innate potential within us. The trajectory of our communities — and our country — is in our hands. We need you.