This is one of our nation’s darkest hours. Even the most hopeful among us have to acknowledge that our world is now torn and shattered by divisions of every imaginable kind and in ways which would have been incomprehensible even five or ten years ago.
Everyday when we read our newspapers, listen to radio or watch television, we are reminded that evil is occurring in ways which leave us each standing emotionally bare, dejected and profoundly concerned.
The horror at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are tragic reminders that this physical, economic and emotional carnage is not sparing our own nation. To ignore deep seeded hopelessness, rage and alienation will obviously be at our civic peril.
The question we all struggle with is what can we do? I believe all across our city, state and nation, millions of Americans are gathering in stadiums, auditoriums, churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. This is a very good first step. We share heavy hearts, but we can gain strength from each other. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to believe we are powerless.
I believe we must be people who embrace diversity of all kinds…racial, ethnic, economic, gender and spiritual. We must make a collective reaffirmation of the dignity and significance of every single human being. From this fundamental point there can be no retreat. We must be rebuilding our community, healing, unifying and reconciling our citizens.
Instead of being inflamed be hatred, we need to reintroduce community. We need to recommit to having a personal responsibility to our city and nation. We need to recommit to serving the needs of others, to genuinely caring about our neighbors. This is what we as Americans should be about.
Thousands of our brothers and sisters were slaughtered in New York City and Washington as a result of hatred. We must surround their families, friends and loved ones with love and support.
As Mayor of the City of Wichita, I humbly join all of you in praying for those who were harmed.
I believe our prayers could be guided by those of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when he prayed for God to bring community, order, opportunity and healing out of pain, destruction, chaos and conflict. The future of our city, our nation and our world depend to a great degree in whether we are able to grasp Dr. King’s dream.
God Bless America.