Mending broken friendships, the Bayard Rustin way
A great many bonds have been frayed to the breaking point since October 7; relationships have broken down among those who have previously engaged in the business of inter-communal dialogue and peace-building, between the generations, among friends, and within families. Heart of a Nation remains committed to the relationships it has built up over the years. This article reminds us of how much stronger we are when we work together, and how to reconnect after rupture...
By Michele L. Norris
The Washington Post
January 8, 2024
"About halfway through a Netflix biopic about Bayard Rustin, architect and
organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, a friend tells him,
'Go get your friend back.'... The movie - simply called "Rustin" - casts
light on a figure history has all but erased...
"We have all lost friends, co-workers, fellow congregants and family members
because of our current fault lines and divisions. We've said the wrong thing
or have remained silent in the face of another's pain. We have disdained
someone's politics, lifestyle or just-keeping-it-real retorts. We have - as my father would say - 'stomped on someone's corns,' and the distance created
by those acts and anthems seems unbridgeable. And maybe it is. But does it
have to be?
"'Go get your friend back' is about second chances. A broken relationship
might not be elastic enough to snap back to its original contours, but that
person you used to trust or adore or work alongside might be amenable to a
tether that could still allow for something meaningful to take root.
"Yes, I know: Reunions are the stuff of Hollywood stardust. But the
dividends that accrue to people who try to mend broken friendships outweigh
that discomfort.
"If reading these words makes you think of someone who has been lost to you,
the fact that this person still occupies space deep in your brain and heart
means that they could still occupy space in your life, too.
"What are you waiting for? Go get your friend back."
About Heart of a Nation
Heart of a Nation is working to empower emerging American, Israeli and Palestinian changemakers to improve their political cultures.
אנחנו מכנסים הוגים מובילים, פעילים חברתיים, ומחוללי שינוי לעתיד, אמריקאים, ישראלים ופלסטינאים, המחויבים לשיפור החברות שלהם.
نحن أمريكيون وإسرائيليون وفلسطينيون نبني ونكوّن روابط من أجل التعلم والتفكير والمشاركة معًا حتى نشجع الحلول التقدمية بشأن القضايا التي تهمنا جميعًا.