GUEST COLUMN: Policy lessons I learned — from Dad
Last year, my dad passed away after a 20-month battle with brain cancer. As tough as it was, our family felt fortunate because we got to spend a lot of quality time with him while he lived with us during his treatment. While I think about him a lot on a person level, I also often wonder what he would say about today’s politics and policy discussions.
My dad was African American and grew up in Binghamton, New York. At the time he was born, his neighborhood pool was still segregated — and 30 states still outlawed interracial marriage. My great-grandparents moved from Alabama to upstate New York in the early 1940s in search of more economic opportunities. They went on to raise 13 children (and helped raise 65 grandchildren) during their 75 years of marriage.
After my great-grandfather retired as a janitor at 65 years old, he took up a “second career” pastoring a local church for the next 30 years.
Grandpop, as we called him, was a staple in my dad’s early life.
Through something as simple as fishing, he taught my dad the importance of self-reliance and personal responsibility.
Grandpop used to say, “If you are faithful and work hard, God will make a way for you.” My dad took these lessons to heart. He worked hard and became the first person in his family to graduate from a four-year college. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in theology — and was seminary professor for over 30 years.
In his neighborhood, my dad was the exception, not the rule. This is probably why our family has always had such a focus on education. Both of my parents were teachers, my sister is a teacher, my brother worked in education, and I taught 4th and 6th grade. My dad believed that every single child — regardless of race, class or zip code — deserves access to a quality education, and he passed that belief on to us.
He also taught me some other important lessons. While they might seem simple, they also seem relevant to what’s happening in today’s political discourse:
• Our focus should be on helping others. Whether people have mental health issues or are homeless — or are disadvantaged in some other way — we have a responsibility to act, both on an individual level and a systemic level.
• We should respect everyone. We should always stand up for what we believe in, but there is no need for name-calling or hateful rhetoric. If we are all made in God’s image, then everyone not only deserves our respect, but our love.
• Education equals empowerment. Education was my dad’s road to a better life. By giving students and families more educational choices, we empower them to choose their own path.
• Truth is truth. Nobody should change their views solely to defend someone (or a group of people) in their political party. Always be consistent.
• Racial issues are complex. My dad strongly believed in directly combating racism wherever it exists. But he also believed that the ultimate goal of our society should be what MLK said: judging everyone by the “content of their character.” Instead of dividing people along racial lines, our schools should be teaching that every kid, regardless of race, has the ability to achieve anything. And the idea that people should have certain views simply because of their skin color drove my dad crazy.
• Policies matter. If government is bigger or smaller actually matters to people’s everyday life. Big government is not only bad policy, but it can be dangerous. He believed that civic and religious organizations should have a growing, instead of diminishing, role in our communities.
• Who we elect matters. He believed that power can be corrupting — so character is essential for our elected leaders.
We live in a hyper-partisan, social media-driven political environment. While that isn’t going to change overnight, I would encourage everyone to step back and think about why they care about politics and policy in the first place. For me, thinking about my dad helps me put things back in perspective.
Michael Fields is the president of Advance Colorado Institute.
Micheal Fields