Moving Forward With the Work Of Bridging Differences, Building Belonging, and Creating an Equitable and Thriving Future
November 6, 2024: Last month, we invited people to imagine what they will do on November 6, 2024. As a nation, there is no denying the frustration, division, hurt, and fear that marked this election across the board. Regardless of the outcome, waking up today requires us to face where we are, clear-eyed and with humble hearts, to ask how we move forward together.
We at The Rippel Foundation stand with stewards and changemakers across the United States who are working to build a shared future where everyone thrives, with no exceptions. Stewards are the people, organizations, or networks who work with others to create the conditions that everyone needs to thrive together, beginning with those who are struggling and suffering. They are everyday heroes like Dora Williams, who walks 12 miles each day along the Route 9 corridor just south of Wilmington, Delaware, knocking on every door to share her organization’s resources for substance use recovery. Or the health justice leaders like Brian Archie, who guides people to step into their power to shape a better future—for themselves and for their neighbors in Niagara Falls, New York. Or still, Chris Casillas in Superior, Arizona who considers the work he does today in service of future generations with the question, “How can I be a good ancestor for my community?”
It is stewards like Dora, Brian, Chris—and thousands more like you—who are fueling the growing movement to thrive together. Through everyday actions, big and small, stewards are creating transformative change by building belonging and expanding the vital conditions we all need to reach our full potential. In this moment, we can stand resolute in our power as stewards to positively impact those around us, and serve as an example of the courage we need to navigate this moment by leading with love.
Our best hope to realize a resilient, vibrant, and thriving America now and for generations to come is to recommit to the hard work of transformative change—undeterred if the path ahead is not as we planned it to be. In fact, leaning into the values of shared stewardship now is an even more profound step toward transformation as it gives us a space to truly walk the walk, and demonstrate that we genuinely seek to realize a future where everyone belongs. We invite you into stewardship, to connect across differences, learn and adapt, and find new ways of working together that allow a better future to take hold. Our ability to reckon with and heal from past harms, and move forward to a thriving future depends on the everyday people who choose to be stewards of that future. It depends on all of us. It depends on you.
Read this playbook for practical tools for bridging across differences using the skills of shared stewardship and strategic casemaking.