As I sit down to write this, the midterm elections are still ahead of us. By the time this magazine reaches your doorstep, the votes will have been counted, and our country may be turning another political corner.
I don’t know what the outcome will be. But I do know what I hope we don’t lose along the way. Our humanity.
We’ve become a country where political conversations can feel impossible. Where disagreement quickly turns to anger, where listening is mistaken for weakness, and where the loudest voices often drown out the most thoughtful ones. It’s exhausting. And I suspect I’m not alone in feeling that way.
But I also believe there’s an important distinction between unity and simply getting along.
Unity doesn’t mean abandoning our values. It doesn’t mean remaining silent when we see injustice, or overlooking policies that put people’s health, safety, or fundamental rights at risk. And it definitely doesn’t mean that every disagreement can be brushed aside with a handshake and a smile.
Some things are worth standing up for.
Democracy, at its best, gives us the freedom to disagree, to challenge those in power, and to demand better from the people elected to represent us. But with those freedoms comes responsibility. Not just to ourselves and the people who think like us, but to the millions of Americans whose lives and experiences look nothing like our own.
I think about that responsibility often, especially as a parent and as someone who has spent the last decade telling the stories of people in our community.
Through the pages of this magazine, we’ve met artists, educators, business owners, volunteers, and neighbors who give so much of themselves to make Denver a better place. They remind me that compassion isn’t a political affiliation. Neither is generosity, integrity, or the willingness to show up for someone who needs help.
Those are human values. And they’re worth protecting.
As we head into Thanksgiving, I’m reminded that gratitude isn’t just about appreciating what we have. It’s also about recognizing what we owe one another.
We owe each other honesty. We owe each other the willingness to listen, even when it’s uncomfortable. We owe each other the courage to speak up when something isn’t right. And we owe future generations a democracy that is stronger, more inclusive, and more compassionate than the one we inherited.
I don’t believe we have to agree on everything. But I do believe we need to agree that every human being deserves dignity, that no one is above accountability, and that the rights and freedoms we cherish should never come at the expense of someone else’s humanity.
It lives in the choices we make, the people we stand up for, and the kind of country we’re willing to build together.
Your neighbors,
Shaleen and Sam DeStefano