Edbert Cheng

Democracy happens on the grassroots level. The purest form of democratic government is a local meeting, where constituents engage with elected leaders to discuss and address local problems. At the root of it, democracy is a moral good, and it deserves to be celebrated. Democratic government is an art form: when it works, nobody notices, because everything should feel effortless.

The current predicament in America is similar to the last turn of the century, during the Gilded Age. Back then, the country was facing surging inequality, urban problems, and an unpredictable and simmering international situation, exacerbated by the 30 years of industrial growth, following the Civil War. Today, the country is facing these similar issues, exacerbated by the Digital Revolution, some 30 years following the end of the Cold War. Back then, the civil rights gains of African Americans had retreated, after Reconstruction. Likewise, the Black Lives Matter protests of today are in reaction to the diminishing civil rights of Black Americans after the Civil Rights Movement. I think our current leaders should look towards those progressive leaders of the past to find inspiration, and reinvigorate the nation.