April 26, 2021

Special to BuzzFlash by Spenser Seddon

This week’s BuzzFlash “Wings of Justice” award goes to Gretchen Whitmer, the current Governor of Michigan and a rising Democratic star. In our present moment of multiple, compounded crises, Whitmer is someone especially deserving of respect and appreciation for capably navigating a series of unprecedented challenges with poise, courage, and resolve.

A lifelong Michigander – born, raised, and educated there – Gretchen Whitmer spent years working her way up the state’s Democratic ranks, serving in both chambers of the Michigan legislature and briefly as a county prosecutor before being elected governor in 2018. In many ways, Whitmer fits the profile of a typical, “traditional Democratic politician,” and operating in battleground Michigan, it isn’t difficult to understand why: a moderate presentation and practical, straightforward platform are all but necessary in facing up to a Republican-dominated state legislature and a mixed-bag electorate. On the other hand, Whitmer has still advocated and helped deliver on a number of progressive priorities, including expanding healthcare coverage, investing in public education and workforce training, and enhancing transparency and accountability in government. With her administration’s sustained focus on infrastructure, in particular, Whitmer strives to hit all the right notes in working to “fix the damn roads” (as she’s fond of saying) and ensure folks have access to clean, safe drinking water (see: the crisis in Flint) – and, so far, Whitmer’s tune seems to be to people’s liking.

What really sets Whitmer apart, though, and what makes her tenure so impressive, is the context of her work to date. Even a cursory look at the daily news over the last year can attest that Gov. Whitmer has faced extreme, perpetual threats of violence and a depressingly casual misogyny while she’s strived to guide Michigan through the compound crises of the COVID pandemic and "the big lie" over the results of our most recent election.

The standout headline here, of course, relates to the foiled rightwing domestic terror plot to actually kidnap and execute Whitmer late last year, following the state’s imposition of a (vitally necessary) stringent pandemic lockdown. Prior to that, lest we forget, was the storming of the Michigan state capitol in April of 2020 by armed, belligerent right-wingers, setting dangerous precedents and presaging the events of January 6th in the national capitol. And all the while – permeating the cultural landscape, setting the charge for those explosive incidents – there has been (and continues to be) the persistent deployment and repetition of a demeaning, desensitizing, ultimately violent rhetoric and sensibility, which has often found Whitmer and her allies, including Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, as targets. These trends and stark headlines are deeply intertwined and problematic. But through it all, Whitmer and her allies continue to stand firm and do their best on behalf of democracy. It’s important that we all do the same.

In so many ways, we’re in a place now that would’ve seemed beyond the pale even just a few years ago – and, perhaps more than most anyone else in recent memory, Gretchen Whitmer can vouch for that. It’s encouraging, then, to see Gov. Whitmer persist in her work.

Endeavoring to rebuild public trust (and everything else) that we’ve seen diminished in the last few years, Whitmer offers something of a lesson in meeting the moment with pragmatism, poise, and a strength of character and purpose. That’s why we’re proud to honor her with the Wings of Justice. We are confident that Gov. Whitmer will continue to help “get things done” in the public’s interest in Michigan and beyond.

Here’s to you, Governor Whitmer!

Spenser Seddon is a writer, editor, and marketing & communications professional based in Seattle.

BuzzFlash is once again honoring upstanding & outstanding people with our Wings of Justice recognition! Read the full collection of recent honorees here, and peruse selections archived from our original website here.

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