San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
How does a nation heal? One conversation at a time
FAITH LEADERS, POLITICAL SCIENTISTS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS AND ETHICISTS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON HOW TO RESUME THE PURSUIT OF A MORE PERFECT UNION
After four years of angry tweets and deepening partisanship, of two presidential impeachments and an election that ignited a siege, it sounds almost too naive to suggest that the road to healing these Divided States of America is as simple — and as complicated — as this: It begins with one conversation at a time.
That is the sentiment voiced by an array of faith leaders, political scientists, community organizers and ethicists, when asked how to resume the pursuit of a more perfect union.
“It sounds really silly, but I think we just have to spend more time listening to one another than talking at one another, ” said Marisa Abrajano, a political science professor and provost of the Earl Warren College at UC San Diego.
She and others spoke of nudging Americans out of their silos, where they’ve been isolated by culture, color and creed for far too long, of coaxing them to a shared table and persuading them to reopen their hearts and minds.
They proposed small groups, panel discussions, joint meetings of congregations and civic assemblies to work toward a vision of a shared future that promises to treat others the way they want to be treated, reject violence and agree that words — and truth — matter.
And while newly inaugurated President Joe Biden passionately called for unity, some cautioned that perhaps the focus should be more about forming community.
“Unity implies that somehow we have to agree together and be the same,” explained Floyd Thompkins, CEO of the Foundation for Justice and Peace in San Francisco. “That’s crazy. You can’t even do that in families.
“Community involves relationship, responsibility, affection — all those things,” added Thompkins, who has spent much of his life building bridges between diverse groups of people. “That is what we should be striving for. That seems so pollyannaish, but that is exactly what a functioning country does.”
But before exploring a way forward, it
“It sounds really silly, but I think we just have to spend more time listening to one another than talking at one another.” Marisa Abrajano Earl Warren College provost UC San Diego
might be prudent to first look in the rearview mirror.
Some history
Carl Luna, a political scientist who heads the Institute for Civil Civic Engagement, a partnership between the University of San Diego and Mesa, Miramar and San Diego City colleges, traces the roots of this modern discord to the 1960s, when the prosperity achieved after World War II began to break down.
“And once it did,” he said, “we’ve been finger-pointing ever since then.”
White Americans have grown anxious about losing their standard of living or their social status. Rural America has been in a decline for decades. And despite the civil rights successes in the 1960s, systemic racism persists.
Then there’s social media, which until only recently has been an unfiltered Wild West of conspiracy theories and falsehoods. Luna called it “the equivalent of smoking cigarettes in our national debate. And it’s given us collective cancer.”
All this created “the perfect storm just waiting for a demagogue to come to power who will tell people exactly what they want to hear and make them feel good while not really fixing things. Regrettably, I think history will show Donald Trump was that demagogic figure.”
After losing his bid for re-election to the White House in November, Trump convinced supporters that there was massive fraud at the ballot boxes — despite several recounts and dozens of court decisions to the contrary.
On Jan. 6, the uncivil war turned deadly, as thousands of his loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol, hoping to somehow overturn Congress’ certification of the Electoral College results.
As much as he favors bringing people together to talk this out, Luna worries the country isn’t ready. Polls show a majority of Republicans still don’t believe the election was legitimate and a significant slice downplay the Capitol attack.
Authorities, who locked down Washington, D.C., for the inauguration, warn there may be more violence.
“I think the real conversations about reconciliation are going to have to take place in the summer or fall, when things start to get better,” he said. “We are in the thick of things right now. We are throwing crockery at each other in the national kitchen. You’ve got to let that burn out.”
In the meantime, the consensus is that two other matters need to be resolved. One involves accountability and the other has to do with the nearly year-old pandemic that has upended the economy, redefined normal and killed more Americans than the populations of El Cajon, Escondido and Carlsbad combined.
Crime and punishment
Jim Winkler, president of the National Council of Churches in Washington, D.C., whose members span 38 denominations, is adamant: “There can be no healing without accountability.”
He quotes Martin Luther King Jr., about how peace is not merely the absence of tension, but the presence of justice.
“As people of faith, the process is called repentance,” Winkler said. “The process of truth-telling and acknowledgment and intention to change.”
The Rev. D. Rebecca Dinovo, a priest at St. James-by-the-sea in La Jolla who also works on peace and justice issues for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, said arguments that people should simply let bygones be bygones and move on are wrongheaded.
“The wounds run too deep,” Dinovo said. “The hurts are too significant. The wrongs done are too big, We’re going to have to see some amount of justice served on some level in order for us to move forward.”
She added: “If you sweep it under the rug, it’ll just come back up in another instance.”
But Dinovo acknowledged that the conversations must not only be about blame.
“That’s where the olive branch needs to be extended — about how we dialogue and how we are talking to each other. Why would I engage in a process if I’m just going to be punished? We have to reward people for good behavior, too.”
Last summer, she started calling faith leaders across the county
“Unity implies that somehow we have to agree together and be the same. That’s crazy. You can’t even do that in families.”
Floyd Thompkins Foundation for Justice and Peace CEO San Francisco