Open Letter from Govrn: Finally, the end of 2020
Hey Team,
2020, holy hell. We did it. We made it to the end. With everything that happened this year, I feel like I’ve aged ten years.
The Democratic Primary. Covid-19. Brexit. The assassination of Qasem Soleimani. Massive Wildfires in both Australia and the West Coast. A Presidential Impeachment. The BLM Movement and Protests. The massive explosion in Beirut Port. The President contracted Covid-19. A plot to kidnap a sitting Governor. The 2020 Election. The subsequent tries to reverse the 2020 Election. The deaths of role models (Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman, RBG, Alex Trebek, John Lewis, and Eddie Van Halen to name a few) and so many loved ones. And now finally the rollout of the Covid-19 Vaccine.
This list is not close to exhaustive, but it’s more than enough to exhaust us. We’ve spent days tweeting about flies in debates, UFOs, and magically disappearing monoliths. We are tired. I am tired. But despite all that, we’ve persisted.
I will never forget the sounds in San Francisco clapping for front line workers (and watching videos of the same in New York and Europe). I will never forget the images of hands clasped in protests as we stood for justice. I will never forget when the world threw everything it had at us, that we stood up, stood together, and persevered.
Our will as people was tested. But your being here is evidence that we are strong. Your reading this is evidence that we are resolute.
We have lasted, but we need help. I can’t watch another series of Presidential Debates like we did this last October. I can’t watch another year of partisanship stopping help for those that need it. I can’t watch another year of “politics as usual” be the reason that so many prayers go unanswered. Life doesn’t care whom you voted for. It doesn’t care if you’re a Republican, Democrat, or Independent; it hits everyone with the same force. We are all tired, everyone from all walks of life, all political affiliations, all peoples, all races, all religions, whether you voted or not, we are all tired.
The vaccine is here. The election is over. We are starting to move forward. It’s time for us to stop just surviving in the world that was given to us and begin to build the world we want to live in.
If there is one thing 2020 has taught us, it’s that we need to build more tools. We need more tools to strengthen our democracy, we need more tools to strengthen our civility, we need more tools to become better leaders. Our current mechanisms have hit their limits and are currently cracking under the weight.
This year is just the start of what will be a long and arduous journey. But take strength in that we are not alone. We are one community. We are one movement. We are on one journey, not just with each other, but with every other person who’s ever fought this struggle. We are only one link in a chain that spans generations of fighters, leaders, sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers — all pushing towards a more equitable society.
It isn’t just me that’s with you, but everyone who has ever fought along the way.
For Govrn, 2020 has been an incredible year of learning and growth. But I can’t begin to explain how excited we are for 2021. We are in the process of building the tools we so desperately need so we can build the future we want. To best accomplish that, we’re going to temporarily close access to the Govrn App to update and restructure the platform. We will be re-releasing the platform in early 2021 with our new model.
Whether you have been with us since my first email almost two years ago or are brand new to this community, I want to wish you the Happiest of Holidays and the Warmest of New Years. I’ll be talking to you soon in 2021, where we can already see the sun rising on a new era.
Stay good and thanks,
Aaron
