by Sterling De Sutter Summerville
While I cannot recall what year of school I was in the first time I learned of the Milgram experiments, I do remember that study leaving a lasting effect on how I saw the world. In short, the Milgram Experiment was a series of social psychology experiments that were conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram in the 1960s. Dr. Milram intended to measure the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts conflicting with their personal conscience. I won’t summarize the entire experiment but essentially it tested the limits of obedience to authority by instructing participants to administer what they believed were increasingly painful electric shocks to another person. In the end, the results revealed a surprising willingness of regular people to follow authorities orders even when they would go to cause others harm. I encourage anyone with a passive interest in psychology to check it out. I raise this subject because in a way, these were tests of integrity. Tests to see what people would do when those who will be impacted by our actions, don’t see that it is us who are the catalyst for their fortune. Now this was just one illustrated example, but there are tests of integrity and honor in front of each of us every day; and perhaps none more socially apparent than how we exercise our power to influence social order. At crossroads like these, we all have to make a choice that is not exactly binary, but beckons that we either show support for our fellow country residents and international citizens – or move towards denying them decency.
Globally, more voters than ever in history will head to the polls as at least 64 countries (plus the European Union) – representing a combined population of about 49% of the people in the world – are meant to hold national elections. This matter of fact means that nearly half of the world’s population will be set for governing under leaders who will be confirmed or reconfirmed this year. That is an immense amount of power for anyone who is of voting age and holds the right in one of those countries. We could have a long discussion another day about voting laws, who and why votes are cast in the ways that they are, but rather today, I want to spend some time focusing on the importance of participation.
In my opinion, one major marker of intelligence is the ability for one to learn from mistakes. Regardless of the subject, if we can do that, if we can be brave enough to imagine a new way, we have a chance to achieve a greater potential. That realizable potential is a beautiful fruit that hinges on the stem of a simple idea. Just one idea that the things that make us rich as a culture and society are born of generosity and compassion. We know what is at stake. There is no shortage of adverse impacts that can come with a lack of social inclusion and distributed power, but the only way we can be sure power is shared in equitable fair ways is to acknowledge our history of when it was not, and honor those who were wronged by ensuring that the similar tyrannical ideas that lead to destruction are vehemently rejected.
For all who are reading this article and also have the opportunity to vote in an election, my appeal to you is singular. Plainly, please DO NOT GIVE IN to comfort or apathy. The electoral maps you look at may invite you to get complacent…the distance from the current global atrocities may request disassociation, but I promise you, someone cares. The decisions we make at junctures like these have consequences, and our choices have wide-reaching impacts whether we see them or not. Someone is depending on you. Someone out there has their fate hanging in the balance and your vote, your presence, your advocacy is all that stands between their body autonomy, their life and erasure. Every vote matters.
In the context of the United States, as NPR’s Domenico Montanaro has put it, “in 2020 just 44,000 votes in Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin separated Biden and Trump from a tie in the Electoral College”. There are high school football stadiums in this country that fit more than 44,000 people. The Washington Post reported that in the 2016 election thanks to just under 80,000 combined votes in three key states, the person who won, did so. These are relatively small numbers for an action that has such a huge impact.
Sometimes it may feel difficult to stay motivated. I can attest for certain that when I think it is a foregone conclusion that a person or party will win, it makes my resolve soften. That said, I am here today asking both me and you that if you or someone you know is low on motivation, to shift the narrative. If you are not motivated by the current risks, let past history or future promise be your guide. If you are not in the know about who are the best candidates, let the challenge of educating yourself lead the way. If you think you have nothing to lose with the thought of authoritarian rule as a possibility, de-center yourself and prove your strength to do what is hard so that others may have it easier. Whatever motivates you to action, let this moment in time feel your presence. The sacrifices of your ancestors who did not always have the agency or control to contribute a vote matters, YOU matter, and as a way to affirm that and honor the process that it took for you to engage in a vote, let your values direct your pen.
To go further, for a moment, I want you to picture yourself, a fair bit older, a bit greyer or balder, with a few more creases near your eyes, and tell me what withered you. I actually want you to put yourself in the shoes of that version of yourself and from that perspective, take a look backward. Answer these questions: Are you proud of the safety and security of people outside of your hometown and home country? Are there places that you can’t go because of restrictions and oppression? Was there more you wanted to do? If you think the answers to those latter questions are likely to be yes, I am pleading with the you of today to change the world to eliminate that future yes. I want this current you to stand tall at this decision making point, fully aware and empowered. While perhaps tired and frustrated, this version of you is who is here to save the day and to fight for human rights. You today can ensure that the you of the future is able to look back with pride. You can earn your stripes by doing the thing that is aligned with your values. Your hopes for peace in the world may mean that you speak truth to power. It may mean that even though others laughed at you or made fun of your bleeding heart, that you did the thing that protected the vulnerable and shunned hate. You may have to sacrifice something good for something great and put the less protected peoples’ rights above your own.
You have the power to weave the fabric of reciprocity. You with your voice and your gall, you with your social media and your passion, you from right where you are! You can be the reason we bind our potential to our neighbors and break free of the limitations narrow-mindedness tries to put on us. One person may not be able to predict every ripple effect that will come with a vote, but we can try to influence change and do the right things to move in the right direction. We have to get creative in our asks and the way we position and demand change. We must honor selflessness and demonstrate to evil that we will not be silent.
The default of nature is diversity. Equity is ensuring everyone has what they need to thrive. Our life’s harmony and inclination is inclusion. People and nature have existed together for millions of years, we can and have done so with respect for those to come in the future. For you to be you, and for you to want others to feel good and comfortable being them on their own terms; and then making sure that nothing blocks either of those things means you are a DEI advocate and defender. It may not make your skin crawl the way it does mine to see the attacks on democracy and nature as we know it, but I need you to push back and put up your guards for me, and I will put mine up for the next vulnerable person or environment. The people speak. The earth is speaking. Every part of the ecosystem works together like fascia in the human body. Now is the time to listen and fight harder than ever; showing up with a stance to preserve not only your rights but those of your neighbors, friends, community and planet.
Comfort can sometimes be the enemy of growth, so I dare you, venture into confidence. Question systems and when in doubt, do something that might require you to give up a little power and advantage so that others whom it has been withheld from might have it. If you’re connected, call in your favors. If you are an artist, use your art. If you are a musician, use your music … whatever platforms you have, make them bridges and with compassion empower people to make change. Meet folks where they are and stay humble in remembering that at one point you did not know everything you know now.
Never forget that you matter and when in doubt, do as I do when I want to reject the self-care and self-compassion I am advised to take on by my therapist. She asks me to always remember that to care for others means that at critical high stress and nerve-racking times like these, where the roads are forked and the choices daunting … we must take care of ourselves as well. She says to show up for myself in the way that I would tell my best friend or loved one to if they were in my position. So just as you would tell them to eat or sleep or not to be so hard on themselves, you do the same. Perseverance and sustainable existence can be resistance, so fight on. For you, for me, and for the world as we want it!
Author Info:
Sterling De Sutter Summerville, a seasoned executive leader with an extensive background leading teams in Africa, Asia, and Europe carries a distinguishment as a Fulbright Scholar, and currently serves as the Founding Director and Lead Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategist at De Sutter Summerville Consulting (DSSC). As the head of this premier Strategy Consulting firm, Sterling excels in assisting individuals and brands in formulating and articulating positions on culturally sensitive topics. Prior to establishing DSSC, Sterling dedicated over a decade to the education, technology, and nonprofit sectors, often aligning his efforts with organizations committed to Human Rights advocacy. Amongst others, Sterling’s work credits include time spent at both Google and Snap Inc. (parent company of Snapchat). He has been featured in the LA Times, earned his Master’s in Education from the University of Cincinnati and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University. Beyond his formal consulting endeavors, Sterling actively contributes to the professional learning landscape. Noteworthy achievements include the creation of a LinkedIn Learning Course titled ‘Creating Safe Spaces for Tough Conversations,’ which has garnered participation from over 40,000 learners.