Lessons from Minneapolis: Look for Community
January 29, 2026
The late Fred Rogers’ famous phrase “Look for the helpers” has provided solace and hope to generations of children (and adults, too) during times of crisis and tragedy.
Yet as we’ve watched events unfold on the frozen streets of Minneapolis in recent weeks, hope seems to be hard to come by.
Instead, we’ve been greeted with feelings of anger, fear, pain, and sadness.
But as we look deeper, we also see something else — something more powerful than the violence, bullets, and tear gas.
We see the galvanizing and elevating of a community that appears quite simply to love and care for one another.
As we’re witnessing every day, these are people bound by a shared cause who are willing to risk their own safety, and even their lives, to protect their fellow Minnesotans – even those who are complete strangers.
In turn, they’re emphasizing the importance of the work you do each and every day as leaders and communicators for social good organizations.
You don’t have to live in Minneapolis to sense the trust people have in one another and many of their local and state leaders, clergy – even their NBA team that has honored the lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti with moments of silence and displays of solidarity.
And you don’t have to be marching alongside peaceful protesters to feel the tolerance, acceptance, camaraderie, and resolve emanating from downtown streets and suburban avenues.
A friend who lived many years in that community told us that enduring months of harsh conditions and bitter cold plays a factor in forging strong bonds and a shared sense of pride in being Minnesotans.
There’s surely truth in that, but if there is an early lesson to glean from what we’re witnessing, it’s that while a galvanizing event and shared sub-zero suffering may serve as accelerators, the pillars of a caring, selfless community can be built anywhere.
It’s about finding and reinforcing shared values, expressing common decency, and adhering to common sense.
There are people in your community – across the wide range of political, economic, and social spectrums – who exude those values. And they crave to connect with others who share them.
If you work for a community-based organization, now is an important time to reinforce your values, create spaces for neighbors to come together, and ensure you are consistently finding ways to build stronger connections.
These connections can be nurtured with people in the house next door, or the desk next to yours, with strangers you’ve never met – and even with that person you’re convinced you have nothing in common with.
After all, you share something important and timeless – you are part of the same community.
And when you take active steps to reinforce and strengthen your community, you are better equipped to stand together in the face of any challenge.
Certainly there is still community-building work that needs to be done in Minneapolis – particularly related to the ongoing pain related to George Floyd’s murder in March 2020.
The pain and suffering in the community and nationwide is deep — and the implications of what’s happening on the ground will be long lasting.
Yet the city’s citizens are showing us what’s possible when a community stays true to its values and rallies behind a shared cause.
The time to start building that spirit and resolve in your hometown is now – one person at a time.
During times of turmoil and crisis, we look for the helpers for hope.
We also look for the community — because that’s where we find strength and resilience.
