Hope can be a tricky thing. It can inspire us to act, but it can also feel elusive when we need it most — like days when the news is filled with cruelty and corruption.
I just got a major infusion of hope and inspiration after spending a weekend with young public servants from across the country at a national gathering of the Young Elected Officials Network, a nonpartisan project of People For the American Way Foundation. The goal is to support elected leaders ages 40 and under who share a passion for building communities that reflect values of freedom, fairness and opportunity for all. It’s a tremendously diverse and groundbreaking group.
The theme of this year’s gathering was “Power in Practice: Governing for a Just Democracy.” When I was first elected as a city councilman while still a student, and then as the youngest mayor ever in Ithaca, New York, I didn’t have much experience at having power to put into practice.
The Young Elected Officials Network was a lifeline for me back then. It gave me a group of peers I could learn from and commiserate with — and opportunities to build my skills and confidence at using the power that had been entrusted to me by my constituents.
Now, two decades after my first election, I’m honored to lead People For the American Way Foundation, which sponsors the Young Elected Officials Network. At the recent convening I loved seeing more experienced members of the network welcome newcomers, share their experience and become mentors.
We were all treated to wisdom from some of the most brilliant people in American public life.
First among the memorable moments and takeaways for me was former Vice President Kamala Harris urging young policymakers not to let caution stand in the way of aggressively pursuing needed change and warning them to beware of gatekeepers that might try to insulate them from the people they serve.
Democracy advocate and former state legislator Stacey Abrams talked about the importance of stories as the architecture of imagination — that better stories can lead us to better policy outcomes. She warned against viewing compromise and pragmatism as dirty words; they are essential in governing and making progress that aligns with your values.
There was also Bill Nye the Science Guy, who reminded us that the U.S. Constitution talks about the importance of promoting science, and urged us as Americans not to abandon science but to invest in it.
Actor and activist Alyssa Milano, in a conversation on women’s rights since the emergence of the “Me Too” movement nearly a decade ago, talked about the ways that courage is not always rewarded immediately, but is almost certainly rewarded over time.
Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif), a recipient of a Macarthur “genius” Fellowship and now in her first term in Congress, called out the importance of understanding past achievements and failures, studying history in order to improve upon it. Just making speeches or calling people out on social media is not the same as getting things done, she said. She backs it up with remarkable achievements as a freshman legislator, getting multiple bills through the House while serving in the minority.
What these speakers and many others affirmed is that the only way to really be progressive is to make progress. The media may debate whether a political party is moving right or left to varying degrees, but the real test is who can achieve aims that improve people’s lives.
There are hundreds, thousands, of idealistic and ambitious young people who have taken the challenging step of running for and getting elected to public office at the local level. The Young Elected Officials Network supports young people at the beginning of their public service careers to help them learn to govern effectively.
Governing well is not only how we keep trust with voters. It’s also how we push back on the corruption and cynicism that undermine people’s willingness to stay engaged in our civic life.
So, if you find yourself feeling hopeless, I encourage you to seek out and support some of the remarkable young people who have committed themselves to strengthening their communities and our country, and who are bringing their heads, hearts, and energy to the tasks ahead. I guarantee it will give you hope.
