Let’s commit to fulfilling the promise of our nation, together

Like many in Kansas City, I spent a Sunday in February cheering on our football team. And, like many KC fans, I was deflated watching our team lose the Super Bowl despite a gutsy effort by Patrick Mahomes.

I was so into the game that I somehow missed the Bruce Springsteen ad, which filmed just a few hours away from my home in Kansas. I caught it the next morning as both the Boss and the ad were getting roasted on social media.

Perhaps it was the timing or the commercialism that stoked the backlash, but I was admittedly taken aback by the negative response to the “middle” and the resounding call for unity.

Are we now against unity?

You see, a few years ago, I presented a similar message at TEDx-Fargo titled “The Middle is the New Edge.” It got me thinking about my message – which is how we need centered, practical, and “everyday” people to build common ground in a fragmented society.  

Can we really work together? Or is that a naïve notion?

It’s been almost two months since the insurrection at the Capitol. It’s only been a little more than a month since a new administration was sworn in. Those images at our Capitol presented two very different visions of the future. Which path will we follow?

Like many, I was captivated by the realistic, yet aspirational note struck by the poet Amanda Gorman in “The Hill we Climb.” As I think about the “middle” and unity, I believe we can come together without losing what we value. Rather, in the words of Ms. Gorman, “Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.”

To “finish” the promise of our nation, we must have a deep commitment to transforming our economy and society at a systemic level. The systems of the past have caused real and entrenched racial injustice and economic inequity. However, I still believe the core of what I said in the “Middle is the New Edge” – that we need to be pragmatic in approaching these complex issues. Real lives are at stake. Theoretical exercises don’t provide real world educational opportunities for students who haven’t “fit in” to the traditional education models. And theoretical exercises don’t provide capital to people of color and women who want to start and grow their businesses but are frequently overlooked or ignored by traditional funders.

My view is that to create equitable, comprehensive, and sustainable change, we must first listen, develop shared knowledge, and bring people together. I often reflect on the words of our Founder, Ewing Marion Kauffman, “All the money in the world cannot solve problems unless we work together. If we work together, there is no problem in the world that can stop us as we seek to develop people to the highest and best potential.”

In the spirit of Mr. Kauffman’s words, we are pleased to share the 2021 America’s New Business Plan. The plan details ideas and solutions designed to improve education, boost entrepreneurship, and help communities and individuals thrive. It was created after listening to more than 200 coalition members of the Start Us Up network and thousands nationally.

While we know entrepreneurship can help bolster our economy, we also know from our research that the current system serves a small number of people and specific types of entrepreneurs. This uneven playing field for entrepreneurs mirrors trends in the overall national economy. In recent years, the American economy accelerated the consolidation of wealth and limited opportunities for meaningful employment and upward mobility. Since the Great Recession, only the top 20% richest Americans gained wealth, while 80% of families fell behind.

America’s New Business Plan offers policy ideas to break down systemic barriers to help spur innovation and create more jobs, especially for those who have been historically marginalized. It supports eliminating the wealth gap that has stifled the overall growth, innovation, and dynamism of our economy. Specifically, America’s New Business Plan highlights policies and practices that provide opportunity for more entrepreneurs to access funding, knowledge, and support. These research-informed policies are supported across the political spectrum. America’s New Business Plan is one of the Kauffman Foundation’s major initiatives this year as we work to prepare all people for success in their jobs and careers. We are committed to building equity into everything we do, every day – including within our own organization.

Based on these priorities, our Foundation, program areas, and strategies collectively aspire to:

• Overcome historic and systemic barriers due to race, gender, or geography so that all people have the opportunity to achieve economic stability, mobility, and prosperity.
• Ensure that all people are equipped with relevant knowledge, skills, and real-world experiences to excel in current and future careers, as employees or entrepreneurs.
• Build an economy that works for all people by making entrepreneurship an integral component of economic development policies, programs, and practices.

Yes, we have big issues that have divided us. And there’s a long way to go. But I believe the grounded, collaborative people with the “middle” mindset will push us beyond our current view. The principled pragmatism embedded in our initiatives, such as America’s New Business Plan, bring to life Teddy Roosevelt’s words, “Do what you can, with what you have, from where you are.”

And, when I have doubts whether we are doing the right thing in trying to work together, I again turn Amanda Gorman’s words:

For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.

For me, the light is understanding our past, reckoning with it, and moving forward to build something better. Let’s all work together to rebuild better, and in doing so, meet the aspiration of ourselves, our communities, and our country.