About The Veterans and Citizens Initiative

The violence of 2020 and 2021 and the bitter divides in our country have motivated us to act. Citizenship is not a spectator sport, and we cannot be bystanders during this time of crisis, just like we weren’t bystanders when our nation called us to serve in uniform.

We continue to have great confidence in our country’s ability to hold free, fair, and peaceful elections, as we have done for nearly 250 years, through the Civil War, pandemics, two World Wars, and many other challenges. That long history of free and fair, peaceful elections is one of the greatest legacies of our experiment in democracy. It is core to who we are as a people that we celebrate the peaceful continuation or transfer of power following our elections. 

We are taking action because we believe deeply in our duty as citizens - that we must work to come together as a nation after this election, to repair the divisions that challenge our experiment in democracy. We have seen the harm inflicted by the polarization of the last few years, and we vow to work to mend these divisions.  

Our vision is audacious--that we can be part of a new birth of civic engagement, working with countless citizens across the country to create a shift from ‘I’ to ‘we’. This vision reflects our own life experiences of working together with Americans of all backgrounds, bound together in a shared faith in our common values, beliefs, and hopes for the country.