By Brooke Worden, APR, Fellow PRSA
Thursday, January 9 was a National Day of Mourning for President Jimmy Carter. As I listened to the live stream of his state funeral that day, I learned some things about him that I never knew.
For example, he taught Sunday School at his home church in Plains, Georgia every week for decades. Grandson Jason Carter said that often the only people he recognized in the class were President Carter and his grandmother, First Lady Rosalynn Carter. The rest of the classroom was filled with people from around the world, representing every creed and belief. All traditions and geographies were welcome.
Also, President Carter disliked the pomp and pageantry of the presidency. It was at odds with his humble and frugal nature. For a time, he discontinued the playing of “Hail to the Chief” when he entered the room. He used to carry his own suitcases on to Air Force One. And, notably, President Carter is the only president to have performed a duet with Willie Nelson. The song was “On the Road Again.”
Each of these stories brought President Carter’s legacy to life, and I remembered another from when he visited Minnesota 15 years ago. Every year, he and Rosalynn volunteered a week of their time to help Habitat for Humanity build homes as part of the Carter Work Project. The event was held in a different location every year and attracted volunteers from around the world. In 2010, Minneapolis/St. Paul was one of the markets selected for the initiative, and I was one of the many volunteers who helped Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity leverage the event to raise awareness of the need for affordable housing in our local community.
Significant volunteer support was essential to handling the international, national and local media this event attracted, and our local professional community delivered. Our work to provide on-the-ground media relations and social media content creation elevated the stories of families in our local community who were being helped by the project. The emphasis on local families and homes built in Minneapolis-St. Paul neighborhoods meant that the localized story was not overshadowed by international and national media coverage of the event. Those homes remain standing strong all around us, and I still have photos from that day that I treasure.
President Carter’s connections to Minnesota ran deep and were brought into focus by the remarks of Ted Mondale, son of former Vice President Walter Mondale, during his memorial service. He delivered a tribute on behalf of his father with that emphasis, and this recent MPR piece illustrates 5 Ways Jimmy Carter’s Presidency Touched Minnesota. The story notes that the combined impact of President Carter’s Habitat for Humanity work projects in 2010 and 2024 totals 173 newly built or rehabbed homes in the Twin Cities. It’s a remarkable legacy to think about in one community, and with the President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, the multiplier effect is global.
January will continue to offer opportunities for reflection. As we prepare to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 20, the inspiration and learning will continue.