Dear Friends,

At the beginning of 2021, I wrote to you in the aftermath of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. I promised to choose to continue working for our country’s shared future, and asked you to join me as Americans in humanizing each other through this process. In the year since, we have seen tremendous cause for hope, along with emerging challenges both new and old. With these challenges, however, comes an opportunity. They give us the chance to ask important questions about how we will build and strengthen our commitments to each other, while not contributing to further polarization, division, and violence.

For myself and others whose identities have been politicized, we know that despite divisive rhetoric that seeks to keep us apart, we have more in common with our fellow Americans than we have differences. This is why the Millions of Conversations model is grounded in a truth and reconciliation process that sheds light on the crucial issues of our nation’s past, present, and future. We must have the courage to face this truth, with the ultimate goal of co-creating a country where we all can belong.

For many, last January was a wake-up call. However, we’ve heard plenty of wake-up calls both before and since, and the way we choose to answer these calls will be fundamental to how we function, adapt, and grow as Americans in the decades to come. A new year brings a new opportunity to create new cycles of trust rather than feeding into old cycles of fear and violence. Let’s seize this opportunity to join hands in serving as the healers and builders of our nation’s future.

With this in mind, I will continue to choose to commit to you, and urge you to join me in doing the same by taking the Pledge to Listen. This commitment we make to each other can be in building a society that we finally don’t have to forgive. It is a commitment to fostering a local-to-nationwide community that supports each other, one that creates a collaborative environment that inspires unity rather than sowing disconnection and feeding into despair.

In truth, peace, and fortitude,

Samar Ali
Founding President and CEO
Millions of Conversations