The photo of a rioter sitting at the head of the Senate, where only minutes ago, Vice President Pence had presided over what is possibly the most sacred responsibility of Congress – managing the peaceful transition of power – is shocking. It is an image of the disgracing of a cornerstone of our democracy.

At times like this, when people feel that the gap is too broad, that it’s impossible for those who vote for one candidate to understand those who vote for another, for law enforcement and communities to surmount a tragedy, for those who practice one or no faith to understand those of a different spirituality, we have two choices. We can either continue to yell at each other from a distance, break through our laws and norms, or we can draw closer. We can listen, and share, and connect. It is true that it is harder to do so during a time like COVID, but the charge is all the more important. We have become way too divided.

MovementForward, Inc. (MFI) was founded to be a reconciliatory agent – to bring people together across the perception of difference and distance. This is the path to justice, to a society where all are secure. MFI’s two core programs – One Congregation One Precinct (OneCOP) and National Faith & Blue Weekend (NFBW) – are both designed to facilitate mutual understanding and reduce bias by creating space for law enforcement and community members to get to know each other. OneCOP helps makes this happen in programming throughout the year, while NFBW creates a national groundswell of community-building events on a shared weekend. There is perhaps no issue beyond law enforcement that has divided us, and that is why we encourage you to become involved in our initiatives to build mutual understanding.

The dates have been set for NFBW in 2021 – October 8-11th. If you have not yet, please join our mailing list (use form at the bottom of this page) and stay tuned for ways to get involved. And on your own, take the time to consider a different perspective and reach out to someone who might appear to have a different world orientation. It’s very possible that you will find that there is more that connects than divides you. And in that way, we will re-sanctify the hallmarks of our society.

Editorial Disclaimer: All blog posts are contributed by a member of the MovementForward, Inc. team in their personal capacity. The opinions expressed in the posts are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of MovementForward, Inc. or any other partnership associated with the organization.