On March 15, a woman wearing a “Make America Healthy Again” hat was verbally attacked by a man at the Durango Community Recreation Center.
A moment, fleeting in time, but emblematic of something much deeper. It was an outburst that reveals the undercurrents of a misaligned culture, one that thrives on “otherness,” division, blame and a loss of moral grounding.
America has long been a land of “divide and conquer,” where ideological battles take precedence over human connection.
Durango stands on Native land because of divide and conquer. This town, like so many others, has an uncomfortable past – one where parades once marched down Main Avenue with Native chiefs at the forefront, as their children were forced into boarding schools to erase their identity.
And now, in 2025, while the methods have changed, the strategy remains the same – division still fuels control.
A woman wears a hat to go work out, and instead of dialogue, she is met with public outrage. This isn’t about being a Trumper or a Lib, this is about being human.
This is the world we shape every day, a world where reaction takes the place of reflection, where immediate judgment replaces curiosity, and where blame overshadows accountability.
But what if, instead, we focused on what unites us? What if we chose to see the complexities in others rather than reduce them to a slogan, a hat or a single moment of anger?
What if we took personal responsibility – not just for our actions, but for our thoughts and words? What if we looked into each other’s eyes when we meet? Held out our hands to shake?
Becoming more local, more intentional in our community
Durango, like any town, is not just a place – it is a collection of people, a living, breathing community that thrives when its members engage with one another intentionally. We all long to belong.
Instead of letting national narratives define our relationships, we can take small but powerful steps to create the kind of community we want to be a part of. Who wants to join me? This is a choice. Will we keep playing into the hands of division, or will we take back what truly matters – our community?
We do not have to be at the mercy of division. We can choose to shape our world differently, one small interaction at a time. By choosing to engage with kindness, by recognizing that we all share more in common than we think, we move toward a future that is not only brighter but also one where we all feel a sense of belonging.
Audrey Royem was born and raised in Durango. Her international education at University of Colorado and Columbia University, and vast experiences abroad, have formed her encompassing, community-centric views. She is a mother who lives in Mancos.
