Originally published online at the Tallahassee Democrat as part of the “Your Turn” series of opinion pieces.
Every day, we ask our young people to put down their guns, reject violence, and choose a different path. We encourage them to resolve conflict without intimidation, threats, or violence because we know the choices they make today will shape the future of our community.
At the very same time, many of them are watching adults try to destroy one another with words. Both are rooted in the same belief that the way to defeat another person is to diminish their humanity. If we expect our children to reject violence, then we must also model what it looks like to disagree without demeaning one another.
Leadership shapes culture. Every public conversation teaches the next generation what is acceptable and how people with differing viewpoints should treat one another. Our children deserve to inherit a community where conviction is expressed with courage, accountability is practiced with integrity, and disagreement never comes at the expense of another person’s dignity.
Recent public conversations in our own community have reminded us that the way we speak to and about one another matters. Moments like these challenge us to decide whether we will contribute to deeper division or model a better way forward.
The Capital Area Justice Ministry believes our community is strongest when every person is treated with dignity, respect, and the inherent worth bestowed upon them by God.
Democracy depends on the free exchange of ideas, honest disagreement, and vigorous public debate. We welcome thoughtful dialogue and recognize that people of good faith will not always agree. Yet there is a difference between challenging ideas and diminishing people. Language that dehumanizes others, encourages intimidation, or normalizes violence weakens the trust upon which healthy communities are built.
As a broad-based coalition of congregations and community institutions, CAJM does not endorse political parties or candidates. Our commitment is to the values that make justice possible: honoring the God-given dignity of every person, engaging in courageous dialogue, building authentic relationships, and practicing healthy accountability. We believe accountability is an act of love that calls leaders, institutions, and ourselves to live up to the responsibilities entrusted to us.
We therefore call upon every candidate, every elected official, every community leader, and every resident to model the kind of leadership that strengthens our community rather than fractures it. We can disagree without contempt. We can debate without threats. We can pursue justice without sacrificing our shared humanity.
For more than five years, CAJM has brought together congregations from diverse traditions, neighborhoods, races, and political perspectives because we believe organized people can transform their community. We will continue building relationships with public leaders while holding them accountable to the values that make our community more just, compassionate, and peaceful. Those commitments are the foundation of authentic public leadership.
Our calling is not simply to respond to the events of the day. Our calling is to help build a community where justice, peace, human dignity, and healthy accountability are enduring expectations that shape how we live, lead, and serve together.
Bryan Stringer is executive director of the Capital Area Justice Ministry, a coalition of diverse faith communities building people power for local community justice. He can be reached at bryan@capitalareajustice.org.