Message from the Mayor: We should, and will, do our part to make the world a better place; stay tuned

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway

With the horrific tragedies that occurred in Charlottesville over the weekend I am once again struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that in 2017 there are white supremacists marching in the streets of our cities and towns. Racism is a vile and infectious idea – and completely un-American. The very idea that someone’s value is determined at birth was at the heart of the American Revolution, and the rejection of that notion is our highest principle.

But the division in this country has recently gone from polarizing political speech to violence and death, and so many of us are simply bewildered – and afraid. It’s as if a wheel has been spun that we can’t get to stop turning, and it continues to pick up speed. I’ve long believed that true change and true progress does not happen from the top down, but from the bottom up.

We are so fortunate to live in a wonderful and peaceful community, but we don’t live on an island, and we can and should do our part to make our world a better place. In the spirit of that, we are in the early stages of planning a city event to allow anyone and everyone to share what they’re feeling – regardless of who they are or what they believe. We will make details available as soon as they are ironed out. Perhaps we can even set a good example for other cities by showing how we can come together and enjoy one another, despite our petty differences.