These days, I find myself sometimes avoiding the news. Not because I don’t care—but because I do. Because I feel it. Deeply.
Too often, I walk away either heartbroken… or outraged. And while it may be easier to turn it off, there are some things we simply cannot ignore.
Human dignity. Human rights. How we treat one another.
There are moments in history that make us proud. And there are moments that ask something more of us. Not because we want to dwell on the past—but because what we choose to remember shapes who we become.
We are a nation built on extraordinary ideals—freedom, dignity, and opportunity. And we are also a nation that has, at times, fallen short.
We see it in the treatment of Native peoples on lands now preserved as national treasures.
We see it in the legacy of slavery.
We see it in moments when fear or urgency led us to treat some human beings as “less than.”
These are not easy truths. But they are necessary ones. Because when we try to soften, rewrite, or erase those truths, we don’t move forward—we risk repeating them.
Today, we are again faced with questions—not just about policy, but about people.
Including how human beings are treated in detention facilities—often far from public view, often without a voice in the room.
About how we treat those who are vulnerable. Those far from home. Again without a voice. And once again, we are asked:
What do we stand for?
Rotary does not ask us to be political; in fact, the opposite.
But it does ask us to be thoughtful.
To be fair.
To be compassionate.
To seek truth—even when it is uncomfortable.
The Four-Way Test still applies to things we think, say or do.
We may not all agree on solutions. But I believe we can agree on this:
Every human being deserves dignity. Truth matters. And how we treat others—especially the most vulnerable—defines us.
Because in the end, history is not just something we inherit.
It is something we either learn from… or repeat.
With warm Rotary hugs,
AC Marriott Frisco
