Letters from Fritz: Reflections on Democracy in the US

Dear Friends of the Korbel School,

As we reflect on Korbel's fall quarter, it is perhaps good that we have time to catch our breath and find ways to recharge before the New Year. It has been an eventful fall! As always, the school was buzzing with activity, in our classrooms and outside of them as we grappled with all that is happening around the world.

Certainly, though, the US election commanded much of our attention. I recognize that many of you had strong feelings on election night. You care deeply about the issues on which we work: peace and security, human rights, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and democratic governance.

A few days ago, a friend sent me a speech that Madeleine Albright gave in Prague shortly after the 2016 election. She said:

Democracy is a messy business that requires patience, hard work, flexibility, and the acceptance of its inherent imperfections. It also asks us to live peacefully as neighbors with people who are different from us and whom we may not even like. What most of us discover, and what I hope we will discover once again, is that we share more in common than we think, and that we are stronger as a people if we overcome our superficial differences and unite around our shared interests and ideals. 

Her words seem to me as wise today as they were eight years ago. Secretary Albright asks that we reflect humbly on the lessons to be learned from elections and that we redouble our efforts to engage with others who do not share our views.

Of course, Madeleine didn’t mean she would stop fighting for the things she believed in. Nor should we. 

As we come back together in 2025, we will stand firm for our core values—justice for all, equality of opportunity, respect for all persons, the value of public service, the importance of community, and an unshakeable belief in evidence, expertise, and the value of education—and carry on with our mission to do our part to make the world safer, fairer, greener, and more democratic. 

Sincerely,