Two centuries and twenty-two years ago, in the City of Brotherly Love, Americans brought forth upon the face of the Earth a new republic, a constitutional democracy dedicated to a dream: to the pursuit of justice, tranquility, the blessings of liberty, and the ongoing perfection of our union. It was the dream of our fathers and mothers, an audacious American dream desired by wave upon wave of hopeful pilgrims, and also by those who climbed ashore in bondage, and by those driven from their native lands. It was a dream that one day America could become a land of liberty and equality, not for some, but for all. It was a dream about the potential of a people.
And we still believed. Even though the dream was denied to so many for so long, even though so many suffered and died so that others might live out the true meaning of America’s promise, we still believed. We wrote the dream in our blood in the cotton fields, on the hills at Gettysburg, at the walls of Fort Wagner, on the plains at Wounded Knee, in the sands at Normandy, in the sweltering streets of Birmingham, and everywhere our brothers and sisters lost their lives in the battle with tyranny. This dream bound us to one another: the vision of our potential, our promise to one another still unfolding, as yet unfinished, not only for the privileged and powerful, but for all.
Now we confront a crippling crisis of confidence testing whether our dream can be secured. In great cities and small towns, in regions suburban and rural, in the heartland and in the open frontier, from sea to sea, from the high tributaries of the mighty Mississippi to its delta, from the mountains and citadels of wealth and power to the low valleys and bitter cells of poverty and oppression, we have lost faith in ourselves, in one another, and worse, in that American dream itself.
In the land of the brave, this course of action cannot stand.
Son of Kenya and Kansas, of Hawaii, of Chicago and New York and LA, son of black and white, brown and yellow, you reminded us that this defining moment is about us, no one else. You called us to hope audaciously and to live out the courage of a new creed, “Yes We Can.” And now we cannot, we will not, permit the pessimistic propaganda of the pundits and politicians to take hold.
Many put their fingers to the wind, lining up with you, not because they believed in your vision, but rather because they thought you might win the contest. These weak allies now want to turn upon you. These were the ones who stood by watching, often full of criticism, but also indecisive and irresponsible, while others drove the nation over a cliff. They have learned to confuse such criticism with leadership. They believe that to point out where the brave one stumbles is as good as walking on the difficult path oneself. They believe that the critic counts more than the one who stands in the arena.
Still others would now like to sacrifice you for the sins of greed and oppression committed by those we defeated, as if having the innocent pay the price for the guilty will somehow reset the scales of justice. In the excesses of their corruption and greed, in their unquenchable quest for power, after having eaten, drunk and smoked themselves half to death, now they seek a guarantee from you, their doctor, against any possible mistakes made in the heroic effort to save them from their self-wrought, untimely demise. They are like arsonists seeking performance bonds from fire fighters.
We know better. We are not confused. We know that you are neither a God nor a magician. We know that to expect a miracle from you is to devalue the miracle waiting to be born within each of us. We listened to you carefully and we know what you tried to say again and again: “It’s not about me.” We listened and we understand that the damage wrought from years of negligence and corruption cannot be overcome without great hardship and great effort. The nation cannot be healed overnight or through the works of any one person alone.
We find the meaning of your Presidency in this truth: that to rebuild this audacious American dream, to reclaim hope, will require each of us to reach deep within, to rediscover the beating heart of this great human project called the United States of America. It will take each one of us, and it starts with what is simple and personal. It starts in the compassion, creativity, and productivity of each American life.
It begins with each one of us taking responsibility to start where we are, use what we have, and do what we can to realize our American dream working together. Each of us must:
- Revere the mind, body, and spirit that God has given us;
- Care for one another with the same passion and attention that we devote to our own well-being;
- Know with certainty and without apology that we are our brother’s keeper (and our sister’s, too);
- Work hard, with inspired creativity, efficiency, and effect, and give unselfish service;
- Be honest and respectful to each other and value one another’s welfare and contributions.
Upon this foundation, we can perfect our union. Yes we can.
Toward this end, the perfection of our union, today we share with you a special document. It is not a Declaration of Independence, nor a Constitution of the United States, although we believe it flows from these documents. Rather, we think of it as a Constitution of our New Civil Society. These commitments we make to one another define anew what it means to be a civil society. We, the people of these United States, in order to form a more perfect union, choose freely to live out these commitments, and through the sum of our individual lives, to realize the dream of a people. We call this new Constitution Community Through Personal Responsibility. We call it CPR, to revive the beating heart of the American spirit. Read it. Sign it. Live it. Yes we can!
To sign this open letter to President Obama, expressing your commitment to the dynamic work of American dream-building, please click here.
Please share this letter with your family, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens, and encourage their signatures, that the full support of the people can be documented and presented – to the President, to the press, to one another.
As a living letter, suggested additions and changes are welcome and can be submitted by using the comments feature below. A team of grassroots community leaders will review posted comments and incorporate them into subsequent editions of the living letter.
Click here to review the CPR blueprint and sign to indicate your commitment
Copyright 2009 I-LEAD, Inc. & the POWER Coalition
All Rights Reserved.
