037 Top Priority Podcast | Grit: The Melony Armstrong Story

Top Priority | Ideas for Human Flourishing

Melony Armstrong just wanted to braid hair. The state of Mississippi tried to stop her.

This is her story of fighting one barrier after another for more than ten years.

Stand Together Community Vision

We break barriers that stand in the way of people realizing their potential. This moves our society toward one of mutual benefit, where people succeed by helping others improve their lives.

History demonstrates people are capable of extraordinary things when they have the opportunity to learn, contribute, and succeed. We can transform society by breaking the internal and external barriers that prevent people from realizing their potential, enabling all people to improve their lives and find fulfillment by helping others do the same.

This vision is guided by the following mutually reinforcing principles:

• Equal Rights A system of equal rights—articulated in the Declaration of Independence—requires respect for the dignity of all people and equality under the law.

• Mutual Benefit When the values and laws of society respect the dignity of individuals and uphold their rights, people succeed by creating value for others, motivating them to assist rather than harm one another.
• Openness Equal rights and mutual benefit foster openness by allowing the free movement of ideas, resources and people that generate knowledge, innovation, and opportunity, fueling progress throughout society.

• Self-Actualization For such a society to exist, its key institutions—education, communities, business, government—remove rather than erect barriers to people realizing their potential and finding fulfillment. As more people have the opportunity to use their unique talents to succeed by helping others improve their lives, society flourishes.

To realize this vision, we strive to build movements of millions by inspiring and equipping principled social-change entrepreneurs to bring us closer to a society of mutual benefit by eliminating injustice of all kinds. We stand by our principles at whatever cost, with a commitment to unite with anybody willing to dedicate themselves to any of these goals.

Recognizing the magnitude of the task, our efforts are guided by a heightened sense of urgency. We are committed to continually transforming ourselves and our organizations, constantly experimenting, learning and innovating. As we improve and add to our capabilities, new opportunities open, which point to the need for additional capabilities, and so on, in never-ending cycles of improvement and human betterment.