Editor,

“Civility First… So We Can Work Together,” in conjunction with Sno-Isle Libraries, is sponsoring October as Civility Month here in Island County. We have ongoing events and activities associated with Civility Month.

We know from our work in the community that promoting civility can sometimes be misunderstood, so we would like to clarify, from our perspective, what it means and what it doesn’t.

Our activities are focused on promoting “listening with curiosity to differing perspectives, and modeling civil and respectful behavior in public and private life.” We believe the important work to improve our communities and country can only be accomplished when we are listening to each other and communicating respectfully.

That said, we want to be clear that being civil does not mean letting go of core beliefs and views. We do not want to suppress vigorous political activism or dissent. Our goal is to help people learn how to heal the divides we are experiencing with those we otherwise love and/or respect. We believe that being heard and hearing others is the necessary first step.

We’d love to share with you our ideas on how you can be a voice for civility here on our beautiful islands.

Please visit our webpage, www.civilityfirst.org, for information on our mission and upcoming activities.

Civility First….so we can work together

Board Members

Sandi Peterson, Oak Harbor

Kate Bracy, Clinton