This is a reflection on courage-- not as force or confrontation, but as the strength of heart required to remain human when it matters most.
We believe in and cherish our connection to our fellow Minnesotans-- all of them. We believe in the human heart, the heart that lies at the very core of democracy. It is also at the core of the democratic heritage that drove the American Revolution and the nation that arose from that revolution nearly 250 years ago. What is unfolding in Minnesota today speaks not only to our state, but to the moral condition of American democracy itself.
That revolutionary idea was simple and profound: all people possess the same human heart, and therefore all have a sacred right to a voice in the direction of their lives. That idea swept across the world-- to Europe, to Asia, to South and Central America, and to Africa-- wherever people sought a say in determining their futures. Wars were fought, some to secure that voice, and others to prevent it from ever gaining power.
Our own wars were fought in the name of defending democracy, even as those aims became increasingly entangled, in more recent times, with the spread of free-market capitalism-- as though capitalism itself were synonymous with democracy.
Although the struggle to make our democracy more inclusive has often been uneven and incomplete, with recent and painful setbacks, the human heart of our citizens has consistently beaten to the rhythms of democracy, equality, and inclusion.
Our hearts go out to those who suffer needlessly. The passion of our democratic spirit is awakened when we see our fellow citizens attacked-- and even killed-- for raising their voices in support of democracy and the rule of law that stands between freedom and tyranny.
Today, we see citizens standing up together, with quiet resolve, for decency itself-- against what increasingly feels like an imposed and unaccountable force threatening the foundations of democratic life.
Courage is an old word, derived from the French cour, meaning heart. Courage is strength of heart-- the capacity to remain open and responsive when fear is real. It is the refusal to allow fear to close the heart's limitless ability to connect us to one another and to life itself. True courage does not harden the heart; it keeps it open, even under pressure.
The recent deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, at the hands of an unidentified and, thus far, unaccountable federal force wielding what appears to be unchecked power, have touched our hearts-- the heart of our state, the nation, and democracy itself. These events have sharpened our resolve to stand together with courage: to witness, to document, and to speak truth in defense of democratic principles.
This moment calls on us to rise above intimidation and brutality, and to demonstrate the true power of the human heart-- to respond not with violence, but with determination, restraint, and love. Courage here is not confrontation, but presence: the willingness to stand, to bear witness, and to remain human when fear urges withdrawal. Democracy does not survive on elections and institutions alone, but through the daily courage of citizens who remember, who speak, and who refuse to look away.
I am proud to be a Minnesotan in this critical moment. We are being called to serve as an example of what courageous, enlightened citizenship can look like. Let us be representative of our northern star-- steady, visible, and true.
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