LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER
America sits on the cusp of a new era, one that will propel this nation into an exciting position of world leadership that will lead to new found prosperity around the globe. Through inclusion and information technology, we will see a period of intensive expansion of learning and development that allows the involvement of previously excluded groups in the political and economic environs. With this increase in participation, America , as the leader of this evolution, will see untold economic and political benefit accrue to our nation.
But to grasp onto this opportunity, we must envision the future and evolve beyond our past. The National Institute on Inclusion is committed to facilitating the nation through this transition. At the Institute, we are always focused on the future, and will look at the past and the present, only as it relates to taking us into this new place. We believe that, more than any other time in America , our country is ready to face the challenge of inclusion.
We are already in the midst of a wonderful evolution. With the increasing racial, ethnic and gender diversity, America is being infused with new cultural identities that are redefining mainstream. We can react to this evolution with fear or with enthusiasm. I submit to you that our enthusiasm should be overflowing. Instead of leading the world through domination, as has been the traditional models, we have the opportunity to lead the world through cross-polination. As we embrace our own diversity, our enthusiasm for cultural perspective will spill over into other countries and other nations, through the powerful tools of immediate social connection and instant technological communication. Instead of forcing other countries to follow our lead, through understanding and connectivity, these nations become attached to our future, our innovation, our individuality, our prosperity, our democracy.
Seeing this trend as our future, the Institute will seek to push forward this possibility with vigor. But first, we must deal with the past and the present. We must resolve our discomfort with the past-idioms that signify an early stage of American evolution. Just as we transitioned from candles to electric lights, we must appreciate that racism, discrimination, and exclusion are leftovers from an old world. In the new world, a selfish hoarding of wealth will spurn heightened disconnectivity, envy and hostility in an increasingly diverse and connected world. This we cannot allow to happen. We must ensure that opportunity is universal-that all have access to it.
Our commitment to the principal of universality must be substantial and substantive. That means, we must review our economic and business practices to ensure that they are open, fair and inclusive. We must interpret our constitution in a manner that does not constrain our evolution and we must review and revamp our laws to ensure that unintentional exclusiveness is not protected, because we have not looked beyond the facial integrity of the words and principles. We must re-examine our history to ensure that we embrace the diverse founding of this country in order to allow a hearty and enthusiastic desire to participate in this nations future by all our citizens. If our history is presented as "us" and "them", then our future can never be "one."