The presidential election and inauguration are over. Historic to be sure. Full of hope and the promise of change. And of accomplishment. For many “Yes we can” became “Yes we did!”

But now, for too many of us, “yes we can” has become “yes he can.” Too much partisanship in government? Our new president will reach across the aisle and bring us together. What about an economic catastrophe? He will come up with a rescue/stimulus/bailout plan that will work. We are afraid; he will give us hope.

It sure would be great if he could do it all. Then you and I could stay on the sidelines and wait. But isn’t that part of the problem? We have been standing on the sidelines, waiting. And the longer we’ve waited, the worse things have gotten.

A friend recently told me about a big problem in her community. Over the years, the city council had developed a reputation as one of the most truly dysfunctional organizations in the country. People in her city watched in horror as council members fought and the city suffered. No one good would run for council, and so no one good got on. It never got better. And it never could as long as everyone was waiting, watching and complaining but not doing anything.

Then someone did. A leader in the community began a conversation about what behavior they should expect from the council. Note this was not about who should be on council, just about what the community should expect from those who were. Out of that conversation emerged a “civility code” for the council and all other public bodies. Key people and organizations in town embraced the code. Ultimately, as candidates sought support in running for office, living up to the civility code became a community expectation. And the result has been that the council has, in fact, behaved better. But more than that, better people are now running for council. In that town, “yes I can” became “yes we can.”

Look, things are bad. They may well get worse. In the face of this economic storm we have two choices. We can hide, wait for someone else to make things right, and live with the consequences of letting someone else decide our future. Or we can act to create our own future. “Yes we can.”

Lou Bellamy and Penumbra Theatre here in Saint Paul have done just that. Penumbra is a great theatre that illuminates “the human condition through the prism of the African American experience.” This is a tough time for all types of arts organizations. Penumbra has seen tough times before. They almost went bankrupt. They know how bad, bad can be. But, rather than whining or complaining, they have done the hard work of realigning everything they do to make it possible for them to pursue their mission in the face of new economic realities. They have cut their budget by 24 percent, and they have done it, as Bellamy said, “very carefully so that the integrity of our art and the heart of our mission remain untouched.”

Lou Bellamy is creating Penumbra’s future, not waiting for someone else to create it for him. He and his staff know that “yes they can.”

Just as expectations are high for our new president, the Foundation’s expectations for Goals for a Decade are high, too. “Yes the Foundation can”…but not without you and your neighbor.

“Yes you can.”

“Yes we can, together!”