The last 24 hours have been full of delightful reminders about the value of inclusiveness and our shared humanity. Yesterday morning, my daughter went up to this bumper sticker and asked about it. As the father to a young girl, it delighted me that she already noticed a message about smashing the patriarchy. I want her to grow up in a society where women feel fully equal to men. That also means men letting go of false feelings of being “hurt” by women asserting themselves. Watching women claim their rights as humans doesn’t make me feel less powerful as a man. I feel best when everyone feels fully human.

It’s the same feeling I felt reading about last night’s election results, especially in New York City. Whether it was my local city council seat in Charleston, governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, or the mayor of New York City, candidates who celebrated inclusion and our shared humanity won. Reading different articles about how Mamdani built his campaign, many of the critical meetings happened in international restaurants. I loved reading about meals in kebab shops and Yemeni tea houses where Mamdani connected with people. Societies that prioritize inclusion and diversity are better places to live. When we celebrate our shared humanity, especially over food, we build bonds and relationships that can overcome hate and exclusion. We don’t just need less patriarchy, we need less xenophobia, less economic inequality, less antisemitism, and less Islamophobia. We need more love for our shared humanity.