Although it is very easy (and even justified at times) for even the most optimistic of us to feel downhearted about the future of our country, I have never been more proud to be an American.

The fact that peaceful protests and thoughtful conversations are happening and are creating movement, is exactly why and what makes America such an amazing country. Systemic racism is terrible and unacceptable, but the widening base of support from people of all backgrounds shows the true power of the American people when enough of us get aligned on a common cause. 

We are faaaaar from perfect, but very few other countries in the world allow the voice of the minority or oppressed to be heard, to have the opportunity to change their trajectory, to change the future.

When founded 250 years ago, the United States of America was fashioned as a grand experiment, a government startup of sorts, to see if a country as Lincoln later described “by the people and for the people” could actually work. I’m always reminded of how young our nation is when traveling abroad in the difference of what is considered “historic” in each country. The United States is really just a young startup with respect to most other countries.

Here’s the thing about startups, they disrupt the status quo, do things differently, and because there’s no predestined path, they mess a lot of things up. But they are also great at iterating and reinventing themselves in the face of adversity, changing market conditions, or with the discovery of a flawed business model…which is becoming more obvious to more people every day our model has some serious flaws. 

The model by which our country, our people, are operating under has become misaligned with a few of our founding principles. For some, it is not so “self-evident that all men are created equal”. But I have faith in our country. I have faith in the resiliency and strength of our people. 

Like the great startup we are, we will iterate our model. We will continue to be a global leader with our grand experiment. We will become a more inclusive, open, and empathetic country not because it’s the easy thing to do, but because it is the right thing to do, because it is what we must do. 

It’s hard to change the long-established way of things. It’s even harder to change the long-established way of thoughts. Now is the time for new conversations to take place, for new futures and new perspectives to be formed.

America is the perfect place for change, and now is the perfect time for our startup to iterate and pivot once more.