From the Editors: July 2024

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The day after this issue, which is our biggest of the year (featuring our 12th annual 40 Under 40 class) is the Fourth of July. Independence Day. The day we celebrate America and our freedom — our patriotism on full display.

However, if you're like the increasing number of Americans discussed in Jeff Bloodworth's op-ed this month, someone who watched the recent presidential debate/debacle, or find yourself reeling from a spate of recent Supreme Court decisions, you may be feeling a little less than proud of our country these days — making Fourth of July celebrations feel a little icky, a little forced.

This issue also marks two years since another op-ed was published — one which resulted in our state senator suing this publication along with one of its contributing editors (you may have also read a recent Erie Times News article about Senator Laughlin purloining hundreds of copies of that print edition from various distribution locations throughout Erie County). And while that costly lawsuit continues to drag on and our First Amendment rights continue to be chipped away at, our collective faith in elected officials to do the right thing by the American people also continues to erode.

Enter Erie's 40 Under 40 class of 2024.

To quote one of our inductees this year — Anna Lindvay said, "You don't need to be an elected official or have a bunch of money in order to make an impact."

When we feel faithless in our government to make meaningful change — we have to do it ourselves. Bit by bit, person by person. And when 40 people do it at the same time? That's how we can be proud of where we're from — pride in our people working for the success of their community, putting in the effort, fighting the good fight, and, as cheesy as it sounds, making a real, measurable difference.

As evidenced by our class this year, definitions of success can vary wildly. Success can come in traditional ways — we have high-ranking lawyers, CEOs, Ph.D. recipients, successful, forward-thinking entrepreneurs, and those highly decorated with awards and accolades. But we also have plenty of folks featured whose measure of success is less obvious — those providing comfort, working to make a neighborhood more welcoming, raising money for an oft-overlooked cause, or inspiring change through art. All of the accomplishments of the 40 people featured herein contribute to making our city more vibrant, more fair, and more welcoming — and that is something to celebrate.

So this weekend, while we're watching the fireworks and waving our flags, think of the young people within these pages, working so hard to make our city (and by proxy, our country) better for everyone. And let them inspire you (at any age) to do the same, as we work together towards making Erie a place in which we can truly be proud.