We Are All in This Together

Joseph Flynn, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction

No matter the outcome, it’s going to be alright

Joseph Flynn has a message for students, and all members of the NIU campus community, regarding the upcoming election: We are all in this together, and it’s going to be alright.

“I think the most important thing is that, at the end of the day, we have to  come around to the concept that we are all Americans,” says Flynn, who teaches in the NIU College of Education and is the Associate Director of the Center for Black Studies on campus. “The election is about more than whether or not your candidate wins, but rather how both sides at least try to come together around the president.”

For the supporters of whomever wins the presidential election, Flynn urges that they exercise a bit of humility, by recognizing that the election is not a sporting event where winning is all that matters, but rather a matter of great importance to the nation. Taunting those who supported a losing candidate does not a stronger nation make, he says.

For those who supported a losing candidate, Flynn suggests taking a break to allow the anxiety of the election subside, composing oneself and then getting back to work on the issues that they believe are important.

Actually, that last step, returning to work on issues, is important to everyone, Flynn says.

“Politics is a 24-hours-a-day, 365-days of the year, full body contact sport,” Flynn says. “Once a winner is announced – no matter who you supported – you can’t just sit down and stop working for the next four years. The more a community is involved in politics the better knowledge of the process and the greater their ability to participate in it and make progress.”