Culture on My Mind
President Jimmy Carter
January 9, 2025

President Jimmy Carter tenure behind the Resolute Desk was before my time. I grew up during the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton eras in a time when the Religious Right used its faith as a bludgeon of shame and intolerance. As I became more aware of the world and the beautiful diversity it offers, my respect for President Carter and his humanitarian efforts grew. From the Carter Center in Atlanta to his work with Habitat for Humanity, he was a man who used his faith as a helping hand to build futures for all, not just for those on the same side of the aisle.

As he once said:

My faith demands – this is not optional – my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.

President and Rosalynn Carter were examples of faith and humanity, and the world is a bit darker without them in it. I only hope that we can learn from their examples and build an equitable world that makes a difference for all. 

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Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

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