BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

You are aware that America is going through challenging times. The Tea Party’s dream of “Take America Back” and more recently the MAGA dream of “Make America Great Again” always invoke the question within me of, “Back to when…exactly?” It would be interesting to ask that question and see what people envision. But I’ll bet you anything – a free Substack subscription, or a Zoom chat - that the vision is likely a time when all Americans of color, all women of all colors, all disabled people, all lower socio and economic strata, and others… all knew their place on the hierarchical bus. A time before the upcoming specter in the early 2040’s of a majority/minority country. If you’re reading this, my bet is that you, like me, want to move the country forward, not backwards.

The wisdom in the preamble to the Constitution – the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world - of creating a “more perfect union”, clearly envisions the future, not some past that worked for some of the people some of the time, but a future that worked for all of the people all of the time. The expressed desire of all people being created and treated equally for the common good of the entire country wasn’t there in 1787 when the constitution was written. It was still somewhere down the road. Otherwise, the framers would have written something like, “We the people intend to take the country back to a time when things were great…” A more perfect past, not a more perfect future union.

When we founded The Civil Conversations Project after the gruesome and very public lynching of George Floyd in the spring of 2020, the work was important. But if we are being honest, regardless which political party any of us gravitate to, if the “party” that you most care about, as I do, is America, than you know that in today’s environment the work is even more important. As President Lyndon Johnson said so simply, “It’s not just Black Americans, it’s all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.”

We try pretty hard to help you understand that America’s thing with race affects all Americans, regardless of skin tone. You. Me. Our children. We’ve tried to be specific with you how that happens. But here’s what I think. I think the bottom line is really that you and I and all of us want to live in the America that we might’ve thought we lived in, and that we certainly brag about to the rest of the world.

We at The Civil Conversations Project believe that it takes a significant emotional experience for people to become open to change. George Floyd’s gruesome public sacrifice helped us see clearly that we don’t live in that country. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t still want to get there. Or that we can’t. The George Floyd moment came and then faded. Providing those significant emotional moments is what we at The Civil Conversations Project strive to do so that we all become and stay open to becoming that more perfect union. To do that there’s no question that we need your help.

The Civil Conversations Project has been planning on implementing a paid subscription option for a long time. We pulled that trigger a week or two ago. You may have noticed a banner in your Substack that said simply, “Upgrade”. We may be late, but better late than never.

Up to this point you could financially support the work by donating to an organization whose mission and the organization itself you believed in. For a long time we have wanted you to have the opportunity to pay for some specific service that you felt was not only worth the purchase price, but at the same time continued to support the mission and the organization.

In addition, if we are successful with paid memberships, we will have a better idea of our financial status over a longer period of time.

And as you may recall, we are branching out and adding a few slices to our pie. Starting in August, we’re conducting live webinars. And starting this fall we are leading tours to Selma and Montgomery to visit with people, museums, and sites that have played deep, yet unrecognized rolls in America’s Thing With Race. And last March we started filming these same people and places that will soon be available on Substack, Social Media, and our own YouTube channel. Your paid subscription helps support this important work.

Click here to subscribe

· Free

· $6 a month or a discounted

· $80 a year

As a paid subscriber you will receive occasional surprise perks including advance viewing of our soon-to-be- released films. Founding Donors get a private Zoom convo with me. What could possibly be more enticing?

The Civil Conversations Project might have the smallest budget of any organization that you have ever supported. But still, there is a cost for us to do what we do and to continue doing it. The Civil Conversations Project is not a “Left” thing nor a “Right” thing. It’s THE right thing…an “American thing.” We could really use your help. We’ve done the math and if you are in a position to help, your six dollars a month will play a significant role in getting us there.

My humble and sincere thank you,

Wayne