Collaborative communities

1. Embracing Diversity to Grow Our State

Here's the reality: Our communities are diverse in many ways. Your neighbors likely live differently than you. Perhaps they worship differently or not at all. Maybe they are of a different ethnicity, love differently, are a single parent or are in a blended family. Maybe they've lived there all their life or are new to the area. Some neighborhoods in your community are likely of lower incomes, while some may be better off. Some are elderly, while some are young. Some are able-bodied, and some live with disabilities. Even within your own family there might be differences in level of education obtained, professional expertise, and politics. Every single one of us contributes to the diversity of our communities. While the narrative around diversity has been manipulated by some to mean giving unqualified people a position simply because they come from a marginalized community, this couldn't be further from the truth. It wouldn't even make sense for any employer or university to put their performance and outcomes at risk by taking in unqualified people. Diversity is, however, an asset to teams everywhere. Different perspectives help bring creative solutions, and help to better serve the entire market, leading to economic growth. I know firsthand from my work in human resources that creating understanding in the workplace through education on different cultures and communities leads to less conflict and more comfortability in the workplace, while companies that don't build these bridges are at risk of internal complaints and threats of lawsuits from disgruntled employees who feel mistreated. A lack of diversity and representation in schools, books, and media leads to increases in bullying born out of not understanding differences. For example, what if two gay dads came to pick up their third-grade student and the other kids saw and began bullying the child because they had never been exposed to child-friendly books representing different kinds of families? How is it an adult topic when children begin to witness diversity in the world as soon as they enter it? Michigan is poised to lose an astronomical amount of people due to lower births and increased deaths as the Baby Boomer generation begins to pass away. While many of my policies are working to lower costs to starting a family, our state's wellbeing is contingent on maintaining or growing our population, and inward migration from other states and countries is required. Michigan must be a place that is welcoming, and that means we must embrace diversity and recognize it as a reality of our world, whether we agree with or understand the way in which others live their life. While some seek to fan the flames of a culture war and divide our communities, I will work to build bridges and grow our state. 

Part of embracing diversity also means recognizing that communities that have faced historic oppression require tools to help uplift them out of poverty and into opportunity. This reduces the long-term economic burden on our state and lessens the amount of people on welfare, lowers crime as people are removed from a place of desperation, and grows our economy as more individuals enter the workforce through higher education and job training. This isn't about "special rights." It's about how even as the law and personal opinions have become more inclusive, when generations of people have been oppressed in many communities for decades, it requires resources to get them where we need to be and to make our communities stronger. My career has been dedicated to uplifting marginalized communities into opportunity through pragmatic socio-economic policy. I'll carry that expertise and perspective with me in every decision I make, on every issue we are faced with. 

3. Uplifting People Out of Hardship and Into Opportunity

Many in our state our struggling, whether due to coming from a marginalized community or due to a system that has benefited the few at the top. All of my proposed policies put this front and center, and support programs and initiatives that make healthcare and education cheaper, strengthens the power of workers without hindering our economy, and makes basic needs like housing more affordable through equitable and strategically incentivized development. 

Additionally, our state still struggles with accessibility for those with disabilities, which makes it difficult for them to be independent. Have you ever walked down the sidewalk and seen a sprinkler system spraying across it? You probably hopped off the curb and into the street to bypass the waterworks. What would a person in a wheelchair do? If you live in the city, you may notice during the winter that plow trucks push snow and ice into the sidewalk at crosswalks, which often doesn't get cleaned up. Would a person with a cane have to somehow step over it and hope they don't slip, or would a wheelchair get stuck? These are just two specific examples but highlights how our communities often do not consider the lives of those with disabilities, as these may seem like minor inconveniences to many of us. I'll work to ensure municipalities are properly enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, while ensuring those with disabilities are put at the forefront of every city process, not as an afterthought. 

The opposite of diversity, equity and inclusion is uniformity, inequity, and exclusion. Diversity is an asset, equity is fundamentally American, and inclusion creates stronger communities. I've dedicated my life to this mindset, and I won't stop now.