U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH) on Feb. 22 launched his bipartisan Civility Tour with Ohio Democratic colleague U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, espousing the value of practicing courtesy and respect in daily life to local high school students.
“Speaking to students at Cristo Rey Columbus High School was a great first stop on our Civility Tour, and I look forward to continuing to spread our message of bipartisanship, civility and respect throughout Ohio and the rest of the country,” said Rep. Stivers during their discussion held at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
The lawmakers, who both sit on the House Financial Services Committee and serve as co-chairs of the Financial Literacy Caucus, stressed how critical civility is in the students’ family and civic lives, in school and when they’re working. The members also asked the high schoolers to share suggestions for treating each other more respectfully.
The event sprang from an announcement last month by Reps. Stivers and Beatty that they had formed the Congressional Civility and Respect Caucus to encourage members of Congress to be civil and respectful in their political discourse both in their congressional districts and in Washington, D.C. The caucus has 12 members, each of whom has committed to follow Stivers’ and Beatty’s leads in holding similar discussions on civility in their own congressional districts.
“This caucus is all about setting an example for the next generation, encouraging dialogue on tough issues, and showing that you can disagree without vilifying one another,” Stivers said.
“Too many Americans are no longer expressing their disagreements in a respectful way,” added Beatty. “That is why I am teaming up with Congressman Stivers to show that although we may not agree politically on many issues, we can disagree without being disagreeable. We want more people to do the same — especially the next generation of leaders.”
The lawmakers, who have served in neighboring districts since 2013, plan to hold other events with high school students and civic organizations across Central Ohio, they said.