We All Have A Stake

The celebration of the individual was never meant to be the adulation of the selfish, but the liberation of human potential.

I finally completed my personal Race Against Gun Violence this week, while visiting Washington, D.C. 

Starting at the Supreme Court, past the Capitol, I ran by the American Indian Museum, Washington Memorial, National Archives (where the Constitution lives), African American Museum, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, ending at the Martin Luther King Memorial. 

My route covered American pride, pain and promise, our worst crimes and the deep resilience of those who bore the brunt of injustice. 

So far from Chicago, Grant Park and the beautiful lakefront where we last gathered, people from every neighborhood and lived experience. But it felt especially fitting to do the run on the National Mall this year, in the midst of a pandemic, an election and a divided nation. 

We all have a stake in ending gun violence as we all have a stake in each other, whether or not far too many remain blind to this simple truth. The celebration of the individual was never meant to be the adulation of the selfish, but the liberation of human potential.

I have been truly touched and inspired by those who took part in this year’s virtual race, each in their own way – from every part of Chicago, 30 states, 5 countries, strollers to seniors. We are a small but mighty community, who mostly will never meet, but share the belief that we all matter, and that even though we alone can’t make things better, the stepping running walking forward towards a world where all can thrive, matters too. 

To all of them I say thank you.