The Greatness of Community
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members, a heart of grace, and a soul generated by love.”
— Coretta Scott King
Last week the Embrace sculpture was unveiled in the Boston Commons. The design is inspired by a 1964 photo of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King embracing after he learned he won the Nobel Peace Prize. The memorial depicts an intimate moment between partners and commemorates their legacies. It also represents a community coming together around a shared commitment for the future.
Five years ago this week we formed the New Jersey Youth Civics Coalition with the goal of connecting with young citizens, educators, policy makers and community members who share our passion for developing the next generation of citizens through a focus on civic learning opportunities and engagement. We were hoping to do our part in creating community.
Since then we have seen our world reshaped by the global pandemic, a renewed racial and social justice reckoning, events that underscore the fragility and strength of democracies across the globe, and the power of leaders and citizens who choose to prop up or undermine democratic principles. As evidenced by the people of Ukraine, Iran, the US and elsewhere over the past year, the desire for self determination and fight for individual freedom rages across the world.
Woven into the fabric of these events have been rich learnings about the value of an educated and engaged citizenry, the need for a shared civic learning, and the work we still must do to come together as communities regardless of the views we hold. The result is a young generation of citizens activated and recommitted to the ideal that our differences make us stronger and our common goal still remains a well-functioning democratic society.
Since NJYCC was formed, there has been progress towards enhancing the civic learning children receive in schools in NJ, including through the enactment of Laura Wooten’s Law. We cheer and recognize those who drove these accomplishments with their perseverance and commitment. Similar mandates are being considered across the country. Policy makers at all levels of government have shown their support, yet it is up to educators and communities to develop the strategies for impactful learning.
Despite all the progress made, partisanship and ideology creep into the discussions of our identity as citizens, how we teach history and the ways we approach civic learning in our schools. It is something we must resist as it leads to distrust and dissolves the opportunity we have to enrich the lives of students in our schools.
Our ambition for the future is strong!
At NJYCC, we believe that the core of our work must be to continue to welcome people together to build strong community and dialogue around civic learning. We want to build on successes and grow the voices assembled around the table to include more individuals and organizations representing students, parents, educators and others with a perspective (and not just those identical to our own) to generate dialogue and debate, and to build connections.
We have been gearing up, and look forward to reaching out to more groups and individuals, meeting people where they are and hearing different perspectives when it comes to the priorities, challenges and rewards of civic learning. If the last several years of the covid pandemic has taught us anything it is the basic need we all share for community. As it has done so many times in the last several years, creating space for us to come together will continue to renew our hope for the future.