Dr. Michelle A. Taylor is the president of the United Way of Delaware.
I have spent much of my life working to make Delaware a better place for children and families. I believe in this work. I know people across our state who give it everything they have. But I must be honest: I am frustrated.
We are still working on problems we have discussed for years. Too many children struggle to read. Children in our highest-need communities have fewer opportunities to learn, explore and discover what they can become. Violence continues to hurt families and neighborhoods, despite the efforts of people determined to stop it. More than a third of Delaware households struggle to afford the basics. Many are working families who show up every day, do what is asked of them and still cannot get ahead. They often earn too much to qualify for assistance but not enough to cover rent, childcare, groceries and transportation. These realities should make all of us pause.
I have sat at those tables. I have helped write those plans. I have left meetings encouraged by what we agreed to do, only to find us having the same conversation years later. So, I must ask myself: What did I do to make sure something changed? Where should I have pushed harder? What am I willing to do differently now?
These questions belong to everyone who makes decisions about Delaware’s future in business, government, education, philanthropy and community organizations. Whether we set policy, approve funding, lead a school or deliver services, our choices affect what happens next. Before we create another committee, have we asked what happened to the recommendations from the last one? Before we fund a new effort, do we understand what is already working and what it would take to reach more people? Before we set another priority, have we talked with others making decisions about the same children and families?
Each decision may make sense on its own. But do those decisions add up to something better for Delaware? Working together must mean more than attending the same meeting. It means agreeing on the problem, connecting our plans and investments, and being clear about who will do what and by when. It means staying accountable after the announcement, the grant award or the report. It also means being willing to reconsider our own approach. That includes me and United Way. I am committed to bringing people with different responsibilities to the same table, listening to the families affected by our decisions and helping us follow through on what we agree to do.
There is urgency here. A child struggling to read cannot wait through another round of planning. A working parent cannot postpone the rent until our next budget cycle. The time we spend revisiting these issues is time they do not get back. We have all heard the saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. Why would we expect a different future if we keep making decisions the same way?
I believe the future of Delaware will be shaped by what we do or fail to do together. If business as usual is not changing the reality for our children and families, what will it take to change ours? I can’t keep doing business as usual. Can you?
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
