Just as Coronavirus demanded we all become amateur epidemiologists, the current civic unrest is similarly commanding our attention — turning us all into armchair sociologists and political scientists.

There is little I can add to the myriad voices expressing outrage over George Floyd’s death a week ago. Coming in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, the event has been an incredible catalyst, triggering an overwhelming outpouring of understandable, pent-up emotion, anger and frustration that we have all witnessed over the last week.

The Administration’s response has been the opposite of helpful. This shouldn’t be hard. As any first-grader can recite from the Pledge of Allegiance, our country was founded to provide “liberty and justice for all.” It’s not “all, except certain races.” It’s not “all, except immigrants.” It’s not “all, except the tired, poor, and huddled masses.” It’s all.

Further, it’s not “liberty and justice for us” — or worse, “liberty and justice for me.” The politics of division, of Us vs Them, have become so entrenched on both ends of the political spectrum, it sometimes feels like we’ve become intractably divided. Spraying tear gas or rubber bullets is not “liberty and justice for all.” Rioting is not “liberty and justice for all.” Looting is not “liberty and justice for all.” As understandable as the frustration is that has led to these acts, it ultimately serves only to calcify the differences that divide us.

Unfortunately, in our information-saturated modern lives, the only mechanism proven to invoke action is fear and outrage. We take our civil society for granted. We’re too busy posting selfies or scrolling through Instagram to drive real, constructive political change. Only 46% of 18-29 year olds even bothered to vote in the 2016 presidential election.

While the protests may feel gratifying, there is only one thing that matters: voting in the next election. (And, of course, preserving and extending that right.) This Administration never should have happened to our country. We need change. We need unification. We need liberty and justice for all. I just hope we can make it to a peaceful election in November.

Liberty and Justice for All