Together we can Save Our Democracy for All.
From the January-March 2026 issue of Critical Times. Print versions are available for free at WSLR+Fogartyville and other community gathering spaces in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
By Jesse Coleman
I am pleased to share the following column by Susan Wills, a colleague in the Social Justice Alliance of the Florida Suncoast. WSLR is a member of the Alliance, which brings together faith-based and nonprofit organizations working to strengthen relationships, share resources, and improve coordination and visibility for social justice efforts across our region. In addition to supporting one another’s work, the Alliance also convenes its own programming grounded in shared social justice values, including the Save Democracy for All conference taking place this March:
Photo by Marinos Karafyllidis via Adobe Stock
In a journal kept by Maryland Delegate James McHenry for the 1787 Constitutional Convention are found the following words: “A lady asked Dr. Franklin, Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy? A republic, replied the Doctor, if you can keep it. The Lady here alluded to was Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia.” (Miller, Julie, A republic if you can keep it: Elizabeth Willing Powel, Benjamin Franklin, and the James McHenry Journal, Unfolding History: Manuscripts at the Library of Congress, January 6, 2022.)
The Greek word for Republic, in Plato’s dialogue of the same name, is Politeia, which can mean city-state, constitution or public order. The dialogue begins as an inquiry into justice, which is diverted to a discussion of the just Politeia.
Plato applies the Socratic method to distill the nature of the ideal Politeia by contrast with other kinds that tend toward public disorder: aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy and tyranny. Why is democracy one of them? The problem is not the system itself, but the power base within the system, that is, the rulers. The aristocrat’s power is based on honor and fame. The oligarch wields power through fame and fortune.
Photo by Andrea Izzotti via Adobe Stock
Eventually the working poor revolt and power migrates to the people in a democracy. But unless the people choose rulers who are not tempted by honor, fame and wealth, the one leader will rise to an aristocrat, then an oligarch, and, unsatisfied still, becomes a dictator.
The tipping point is precariously balanced at the boundaries of democracy. Like the proverbial fork in the road, the just republic depends on the choice between the desire for honor and wealth or the wisdom to lead by truth, humility, and the will of the people.
If you find Plato’s Republic worth keeping, you are invited to gather with members of the community for a day of inspirational speakers and workshops. Discover and learn specific actions, tools and methods that will save our democracy through free and fair elections, humane immigration policies, civil speech and the proper relationship between church and state.
Together we can find ways to speak and act positively and agreeably to find solutions. Together we can get to work on a future of cooperative action that benefits everyone, all ages, faiths, cultures and politics. Together we can Save Our Democracy for All.
–Susan Wills is a member of Social Justice Alliance of the Florida Suncoast
If you go
- What: Save Democracy for All
- When: Saturday, March 28; time and registration to be announced
- Where: Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Avenue South, Venice
- More information: https://sjafs.org