I choose community

A week after the election, I had the opportunity to listen to Professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries speak. He chose his speech to be titled the same as the last book penned by Martin Luther King, Jr. before his 1968 assassination. “Where do we go from here?” Dr. King asked. “Chaos or community?”

Like many of you, I was deeply saddened by much of the 2024 election results. I am proud of the effort we put in, and especially the work done and the difference made by our local Democratic candidates and supporters here in Cache Valley – as well as by our Party members across the state. Yet, as I’m sure many of you would agree, it can be disheartening to see the results at the polls and be required to reckon with the fact that neighbors, friends, and loved ones have chosen a path that is in many ways the antithesis to what I see as the path of progress, kindness, and constitutional democracy. It is difficult at times to see past the visceral fear and worry for vulnerable communities in my nation and across the globe. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed with the chaos of a looming second Trump presidency, and a continuing Republican supermajority in the Utah state government.

So where do we go from here? The chaos pushes us into a constant shock that desensitizes until paralyzed hopelessness grows up in its place. I cannot do nothing. I must do something. But what can I do?

 I choose community. I will find comfort and joy and meaning in knitting a stronger community. I will volunteer for causes I believe in, and do my best to take care of those around me. I will reach out in ways healthy for me to those who disagree with me, and take comfort in the connections I have with those who do. I will spend time with my friends and family, and I will take shelter with my local Democrats – I will smile with them and complain with them and hope with them and exist with them. We will not disappear. As Samwise Gamgee once declared, “There’s some good in this world and it’s worth fighting for.” I can fight for the good through voting and campaigning, but I need not feel helpless now – I can also do this through serving in my community and cherishing those around me.

 I choose community. As Barack Obama exclaimed in his 2012 victory speech, “I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.” In the wake of the 2024 election, Professor Jeffries echoed these sentiments. “This is not a sprint,” he explained. “It’s a marathon.” It will be an arduous journey, but “The beauty is knowing that there have always been people willing to fight.” We can gain strength from the people who came before us, rest ourselves, and prepare for the next steps we must take together.

I choose community. In the upcoming months, the Cache County Democratic Party wants to prioritize service projects across Cache Valley. We want to do good where we can, helping our beloved home to become a more welcoming place for all. We also want to continue providing opportunities where we can be together as Democrats, where we can be reminded of an important truth that is easy to forget in our little valley: You are not alone. We are not alone. We have each other to rely on, and what we do matters.

 I am not willing to give up the good in this world to the chaos. I choose community – and I invite you to join me for the ride.

 Sincerely,

Andrea Thompson

Cache County Democrats Secretary