Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently delivered a moving address in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. A bipartisan group gathered to celebrate the rollout of the new postage stamp in honor of civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis and as of July 21, 2023, the stamps are now available to the public by the United States Postal Service. McCarthy’s speech – delivered alongside remarks from Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries – demonstrates that it’s still possible to reach across the political divide splitting our nation. Political leaders must prioritize bipartisanship as a joyful discipline and use the model set forth by the late Rep. John Lewis to guide their actions and build bridges across the aisle to inspire future leaders to do the same.
The latest Pew Research Center survey on political polarization reveals growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats believe members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, and closed-minded than other Americans. The same study shows nearly half of younger adults say they “wish there were more parties to choose from.” In short, negative partisanship remains extensive and in many cases is increasing with neither political party being popular with the public. This is why it's critical for political leaders to prioritize bipartisanship. But how?
Compassion for each other. Bipartisanship is hard work – a discipline – the kind of work that can be done joyfully, so long as it is done with the sweetness of friendship across party lines. Without friendship, it becomes a cold and empty word. Those familiar with the Speaker and Congressman Lewis saw them in fellowship together repeatedly, including on The Faith and Politics Institute’s annual Congressional Pilgrimage which we organize. McCarthy took the time to highlight Lewis’s strategic kindness in including McCarthy’s family in the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. McCarthy focused on their time together on the Selma trip during his speech, but their relationship did not start or end there.
Courage to take action. Civil Rights should not be partisan, and no political party owns the historic Civil Rights Movement. Historians remind us regularly that Democrats during the 1950s and 60s were not always the ones leading the way across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to a new tomorrow. One of the leading lights of the era was Republican Judge Frank Johnson, who paved the way for peaceful marches through his rulings in Montgomery, Alabama. We cannot merely utilize the lens of today’s politics to view the past. Yes, modern political parties certainly can reach back to take a side today but applying 2023 views to the actions of those in 1953 does a disservice to history and the movement. It ignores how difficult it was for those who stood up to Jim Crow to do what they did. What is today accepted as obvious was a world-changing, unpopular stance in 1953. We must not forget that.
Conscience to strengthen our democracy. The work of maintaining and improving our democracy is never done. The Faith & Politics Institute has hosted over 300 Members of Congress on our pilgrimages – which have ranged from Senator James Lankford’s hosting in Tulsa to Senator Tim Scott and Congressman James Clyburn (our honorary co-chairman) hosting in Charleston. They have ranged from pilgrimage co-host Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Senator Katie Britt and Congressman John Moolenaar breaking bread in Montgomery, Alabama to Senators Chris Coons and Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Steny Hoyer engaging in numerous pilgrimages since 1998. And yet, despite 25 years of leading Civil Rights pilgrimages for Members of Congress, there are many members who have not yet joined us and many places we still must visit. We have not yet made our way to the Southern border, across the Trail of Tears, to Minnesota’s immigrant-rich state, and so many other examples of Civil Rights progress. Such locations inspire not only future pilgrimages for our nearly 100 John Robert Lewis scholars, fellows and leaders but also bipartisanship from our political leaders based on shared experiences.
Let us not lose sight of what can be done when we agree to stay connected to one another across the great divide. You can now mail a letter with a stamp with John Lewis’ image on it, much like he did when he sent a letter to Dr. Martin Luther King as a young man, and Dr. King responded with a round-trip bus ticket to Montgomery and an invitation to meet him and join the civil rights movement. What will you do to prioritize bipartisanship and the lessons learned from John Lewis?