
Maria Arozamena, Illustrations Editor
Last week, I had the honor of attending a portion of President Jimmy Carter’s funeral events. I arrived at Dobbins Reserve Air Force Base just outside of Atlanta at 7 a.m. After four hours of waiting in a drafty repurposed hangar, I stood five feet away from a hearse with President Carter’s coffin, draped in an American flag. I felt so lucky to in some way get to say “thank you” to the man who did so much for the people of the world, America and especially my home state, Georgia.
My home state has been increasingly divided politically over the past few election cycles. The recent elections for president, governor and senate seats have been close to say the least. In our newly “purple” state, it is jarring to see how greatly we disagree. Whenever I drive down I-75, my liberal bubble of Atlanta is burst by a long row of Trump signs and even a confederate flag or two. The urban/rural divide is painfully clear, especially on our election maps, where there is a blue cluster around the cities of Atlanta, Athens, Savannah, Columbus and Augusta, with almost all of the other counties going red.
Jimmy Carter, however, transcended politics for Georgians. This is not to say that he was apolitical: many Georgians will passionately tell you how much they disagreed with his politics, but respect for him is seemingly universal. Driving back home to Atlanta, I drove along streets where it seemed every other front yard had a Trump sign. As a person who has spent way too many hours pouring over Georgia election maps, I already knew that this county was a Republican stronghold by more than 20 points. However, as the yards flew by, I started to notice something. Every single American flag, of which there were many, was at half mast less than 24 hours after President Carter’s death had been announced. My home state, perhaps more divided than ever, was mourning one of our own.
Jimmy Carter was revered by us Georgians for his pure convictions, kindness and authenticity. Although he was frequently demeaned for being too soft by political rivals, he was by no means weak. He negotiated lasting peace between Israel and Egypt, protected more 100 million acres of Alaskan land and created the Department of Education, among other accomplishments in office.
He appealed to all of us. Throughout the course of his life, he fulfilled all of the following roles: student at Georgia Tech, soldier/submariner, Sunday school teacher, father, husband, humanitarian, fisherman and peanut farmer. If that doesn’t make him relatable to almost every Georgian in some way, I don’t know what does. He bridged the urban-rural divide in a way that few have been able to accomplish.
After his presidency, he established the Carter Center, which has nearly eradicated guinea worm, which, 40 years ago, used to infect three million people per year. Now, there are less than 15 cases per year. Even better, the Carter Center has accomplished this through partnering with rural African communities to help them educate and empower each other. If all these good deeds and earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 were not enough, President Carter built houses for Habitat for Humanity into his 90s. In a world where role models seem increasingly harder to find, especially in the political world, Jimmy Carter stood out as a beacon of hope.
It seems America has decided that we do not want to have a morally good person in the office of president of the United States. Perhaps the era of noble leaders is behind us, and we have collectively decided that we prefer what many perceive as “strong leadership” over leaders with personal virtue. We live in a time where we seem to be more volatile and less understanding of each other than ever before.
However, as I joined a crowd of mourners on the tarmac on an unseasonably chilly Tuesday morning, it was clear that Georgians, Americans and the world were mourning a truly decent man who we wanted to honor and emulate.
I spent the morning talking to people who knew President Carter in various capacities: friends, Carter Center employees and former aides. They shared their memories of President Carter with me and described him as kind, hardworking and humble with a great sense of humor. It was clear that everyone, from people who met him once in the most fleeting of moments to people who worked with him for years, was permanently inspired by his presence and the principles for which he stood. The Mayor of Atlanta, Governor and First Lady of Georgia and various high-ranking military officers assembled with our group to watch President Carter’s coffin be loaded onto Air Force One. The blustering wind coming down the runway seemed to drown out any of our differences: in that moment we were wholly united in our gratitude for a humble peanut farmer from Plains.
As Air Force One took off for Washington with President Carter’s coffin, spiraling up and up into the deep blue January sky, I felt a collective sense of hope that maybe all of us who deeply admired President Carter could keep his legacy of decency, respect and common humanity alive.