“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” Harriet Tubman
Fragile. Brave. Hopeful. As a democrat, these were the feelings I had watching the Democratic National Convention. Could it be we just may be able to maintain and enjoy our democratic values, those values based on diversity, equity and inclusion, fragile now with DEI constantly under attack? How refreshing to feel a sense of hope, even normalcy, as we celebrated “all of us” regardless of religious preference, gender, racial identity, ethnic heritage or even political leanings. Palpable to savor.
Yet, I was also aware of the acute sense of courage and bravery this moment in history is requiring of us as it’s all on the line in November. Make no mistake, being victorious will require no less if we’re going to sustain this great democratic experiment as we’re going up against the very antithesis of DEI–Project 2025.
Spend some time with Project 2025, created largely by former and current Trump loyalists as a blueprint for a second Trump administration. You won’t find a heralding of women as potential leaders. You won’t find the raising up of minority ethnic groups. You won’t see an acknowledgement that an estimated 40% of families in the US are blended. And certainly, you won’t find any welcoming of our LGBTQ+ Americans or the mentioning of any other forms of family. No, the party of Trump is not interested in being the party of “all of us.”
What you will find though, for example, on page 451, “The only valid family is a working father married to a stay-at-home mother with their children.” Tell that to the 1300 new stepfamilies that are formed each day according to the Bureau of Census. Championing traditional patriarchal values, Project 2025 intends to make America great again by returning us to the pre-equal and civil rights period, a time when only White males inherited the mantals of power–the power to dream.
This vision is heralded by a narrow cohort of Christians intent on dismantling our pluralistic democracy and establishing a theocracy under the banner of Christian nationalism. To many such nationalists, this is not a political race between two parties. It’s a fight between good and evil and Trump is their prophet come to save hell-bound America.
I confess it made me smile imagining how it must have rattled Christian nationalists to see not just a woman, but a woman also representing two minority populations, accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States; watch her and the Second Gentleman proudly introduce all members of their blended family; and then, to top it off, hear the Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, actually support and cheer his wife.
Yes, I could just hear the chatter behind-the-scenes: “Don’t they know a woman’s place is at home, not in leadership? Don’t they know that blended families are, well, certainly not to be celebrated! And, doesn’t the Second Gentleman know it’s his role to lead this dutiful wife—certainly not to take a second seat or assume a supportive role to her leadership? Yes, Satan is clearly working hard to win America!”
Perhaps they’ve forgotten that many of us, particularly those of us over sixty, remember how things were “again” and it wasn’t so “great” for many. When I was in college, for example, it was not surprising that most of us followed only the more traditional career paths deemed acceptable for young women: secretary, nurse, teacher, childcare worker. And once, while raising our young family in what we thought was a friendly neighborhood, some of our neighbors abruptly left a party we were having because we’d invited a Black man. “We don’t hang out with n—gers,” they said.
The difference today is greater choice even as the fight for equity and inclusion continues. Choice so many have fought so hard for. The choice to dream, whatever your gender, race or ethnicity, and the freedom to chart your own course.
Let’s keep America the great nation it already is—as messy and challenging as it can be, yet no less beautiful and enduring. Let’s remember that when we embrace diversity, equity and inclusion, we create a tapestry of unity that is democracy. Let’s fight to preserve America as the place where “all” peoples are encouraged to reach for the stars and change the world—free from government impositions and interference.
Perhaps then, this great Democratic experiment might just not survive but thrive.
Stephanie Rutt 