Happy New Year!
I recently watched in shock the chaotic scenes at the US Capitol building. The brazzen attempt to subvert democracy seemed almost impossible for the world’s most advanced democracy. Another reminder that democracy, like a baby, needs round-the-clock tending to.
Even more reason to look forward to January 20th. One hopes that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris bring much needed change to Washington, and certainly, around the world. As we wait on it, here are a few gems from Kamala Harris’s book The Truths We Hold:
On Trust
“You give and you receive trust. And one of the most important ingredients in a relationship of trust is that we speak truth. It matters what we say. What we mean. The Value we place on our words – and what they are worth to others.”
On Honesty:
“We cannot solve our most intractable problems unless we are honest about what they are, unless we are willing to have difficult conversations and accept what facts make plain.”
On Identity:
“Don’t let anybody tell you who you are. You tell them who you are.”- Shyamala Gopalan (Kamala’s Mother)
On Fighting for the ‘Little Guy’:
“The job of a progressive prosecutor is to look out for the overlooked, to speak up for those whose voices aren’t being heard, to see and address the causes of crime, not just their consequences, and to shine a light on the inequality and unfairness that lead to injustice.”
On Shared Prosperity:
“When it comes to the things that matter the most, we have so much more in common than what separates us.”
On Police Brutality:
“If there aren’t serious consequences for police brutality in our justice system, what kind of message does that send to police officers? And what kind of message does it send to the community? Public safety depends on trust. It depends on people believing they will be treated fairly and transparently. It depends on a justice system that is steeped in the notions of objectivity and impartiality. It depends on the basic decency our Constitution demands.”
On the Future:
“We live in an uncertain world, one filled with complexity and danger. The challenges we face in the future will be new and nuanced, and they will require us to mobilize based on being smart, not on being afraid.”
On Politics:
“Politics is a realm where the grand pronouncement often takes the place of the painstaking and detail-oriented work of getting meaningful things done. Good leadership requires vision and aspiration. It requires the articulation of bold ideas that move people to action. But it is often the mastery of the seemingly unimportant details, the careful execution of the tedious tasks, and the dedicated work done outside of the public eye that the make the changes we seek possible.”
On Words:
“Words have the ability to empower and to deceive, the power to soothe and to hurt. They can spread important ideas and wrongheaded ones. They can spur people to action for good or ill. Words are incredibly powerful and people in power, whose words can carry furthest and fastest, have an obligation- a duty – to speak them with precision and wisdom.”
Which of these truths speaks the most to you? What do you look forward to in the new year?