In this Together, by Jonathan Joy

The last few months have, indeed, been crazy for a variety of organizations and millions of Americans. SPECO's recent call for essays and poetry that showcases the positive really resonated in me, especially since St. Peter’s Episcopal Community Outreach has contributed so much to my neighborhood and all the Tri-State.  

These organizations don't always get the credit they deserve. Social media algorithms too often stress anger, fear, and doomscrolling, doubly damaging in the face of authoritarianism.  If you look closely through that haze, though, you'll find plenty to celebrate.  

Mr. Rogers would encourage us to look for the helpers in times like these. And there are a lot of helpers. SPECO comes to mind first, not only because they prompted this meditation on the positive, but because from my front porch, I can see the church and SPECO’s headquarters.  I pass by it daily.  There, the Pride flag waves brilliantly in west end winds, welcoming all every day of the year, while their volunteers contribute to Harmony House, Save A Life Day, and through community gardens and a frequently visited blessing box.  

And you don’t have to travel far out of this neighborhood to find others in the community who have uplifted and inspired in these past four tumultuous months. A downtown Ren Fair recently entertained thousands and raised a bunch of money for Harmony House. Huntington Pride serves an LGBTQ+ population in very real danger. Alchemy Theatre has been bringing awareness to the importance of the arts and the dangers of reckless funding cuts.  

I see helpers, too, in those producing art at West Edge to preserve this moment, to express joy and resistance, to foster fellowship and activism.  I see helpers in ACLU warnings about ICE invasions into our area. I see them in doctors attempting to educate legislators and in the thousands of my neighbors who literally rage to protect our libraries, parks, animal shelter, and City Mission. I see helpers in the many teachers standing up against discriminatory anti-DEI measures, and in a Women’s Health Center advocating for the decriminalization of health care for women and trans kids.

Helpers are everywhere. Heroes, too. We need to follow them. We need to be them. For we have lost so much and in such little time. What may save us is the realization that, in the end, we’re all in this together, and everybody has a part to play.  

So here’s to the helpers, those positive forces standing up to be leaders in a time when too many of our elected representatives have abandoned decency, to those pushing back against hate, cruelty, ignorance, and incompetence with love, compassion, knowledge, and hard work.

Thank you. God bless you.