Reset America: The Movement Is Building

OZY Family,

At the start of a great journey, we often don’t know what lies ahead. What are the obstacles in the way? Who will join us? How will this trip evolve from what we thought it would be? On Monday, we sent you our first Reset America newsletter, a collection of 10 ideas for how to improve our country from guests on The Carlos Watson Show, people OZY has profiled and you, our devoted readers. I was anxious to see what you thought, and, to be honest, I was floored by the response.

Thousands of you have written to my personal email and let me know your own big ideas. Many of the responses were incredibly thoughtful and substantial, running hundreds of words. Many of them challenged me and our entire premise: What’s so wrong with the Founding Fathers and the documents they drafted, which have guided America pretty well over nearly 250 years?

I feel your hope and your concern at this fraught moment in American history, and I can tell you: We’re not inclined to toss America’s founding principles into the dustbin. What Reset America is all about, with your sharp insight and keen guidance, is learning from the best of what we’ve achieved so far, and then adding to our country’s story. If America has always been a great experiment, I think now is the time to discuss how to keep iterating and testing, to improve upon our great foundation in search of a more perfect union — to tackle a new era, with new problems that the original founders could not possibly have foreseen. And we want to hear not only what you would fix, but also what you see that is working in your community at this time of great change and challenge. We want to know what works, as well as what doesn’t, so we can blaze the trail together toward a better America.

OZY’s Reset America effort aims to create real, positive change on all levels by engaging with challenging ideas and plumbing the depths of what needs to change about race, voting, the role of government and so much more. We’re excited to keep the conversation going. Watch this space Monday for more big ideas, and do tell us your thoughts and whether you’d like to be a part of this critical conversation. But you don’t have to wait until then: Join in on social media using the hashtag #ResetAmerica, or simply click here for a ready-to-go tweet. As always, you can also simply email me. I will endeavor to get back to each and every one of you.