Following last week’s blue wave that restructured power in Concord and on Capitol Hill, a group of Monadnock-area residents discussed next steps for democracy and their own hopes for the next couple of years at Community Conversations on Thursday.
Michelle Stahl, executive director of the Monadnock Center for History and Culture, drew on her experience as a gardener to frame her understanding of the status of American democracy.
“I think there’s like an invasive weed that got us here in the first place, and maybe that’s something that we should be thinking about,” she said.
After faithfully tending her garden for years, Stahl became a single mother and no longer had time to garden. Now, each spring she heads out to her flower beds to regrow what she lost.
“I think that’s where we’re at right now: We can tend our garden, or we allow these obnoxious things to come and start crowding out the good things,” she said.
Stahl advocated for educating students about civics, history and literature to build critical thinking and provide context.
“We need to find a way to instill in every American that it’s not just your right to vote, it’s your duty to vote,” Stahl added. “It’s your duty to be involved in the democracy.”
The Peterborough audience, which appeared to mostly lean to the political left, and the moderator, retired ConVal U.S. History Teacher Robert Marshall, echoed this sentiment.
“I miss the respect that we all held for each other. I miss that a lot,” Marshall said. “I miss the discourse.”
The majority of the audience shared their hopes for the next two years, including addressing the Supreme Court, impeaching President Donald Trump and funding public education.
Community Conversations is a series created in partnership of the Monadnock Center for History and Culture and the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript.