Trail of Truth Finds Bipartisan Support at Republican National Convention

Advocates Kim Durkee and Madelyn Robinson raising awareness for substance use related deaths at the RNC.

One of the things I’m most proud of in Truth Pharm’s work, including the Trail of Truth National project, is our ability to work across partisan politics. I feel like we always hear that overdose and addiction impacts everyone, from across all walks of life and people of all political leanings. When Truth Pharm started in February of 2015, we created our value system based on our collective experiences, what we knew were problems in the care networks for people who struggled, what gaps we experienced, and what systems we knew failed our loved ones. These values embraced compassion, empathy, and acceptance for people who struggled with chaotic substance use. As family members who had lost a loved one, or were still trying to keep one alive, we understood that death eliminated the possibility of recovery. So our priority was to keep people alive. At the table were people from all walks of life, Republican and Democratic political views/affiliations, and it did not matter.

Fast forward to today, in July of 2024. In the past 9.5 years since Truth Pharm was founded, our nation has become quite divided. We see divisive politics on both sides, we see a two-party system pitting humans against humans and an abandonment of recognizing people across the political divide from our own views painted as monsters - whether you stand on the right or left, I’m certain you agree.

One of the things I love about Truth Pharm is that we have remained so committed to our values and goals, that politics do not get in the way of our work. Conservatives and Liberals who have been impacted by substance use are drawn to our work because they too believe in our mission. Our staff, Rainmakers, and Board members are quite bipartisan.

Our Trail of Truth National project was created in order to have a platform of work that would center empathy and compassion for people who struggle with chaotic substance use and seek critical solutions we could all agree upon - Right and Left of the aisles. We have chosen the most basic goals to achieve, goals that will benefit everyone, and goals that all sides can agree upon. Goals that, by now, 13 years into this epidemic, we should have seen come to fruition.

Our goals include: Immediate access to treatment, ending discrimination in medical care, barrier-free Naloxone access, and ensuring opioid settlement funds are spent responsibly, and transparently while centering and prioritizing the voices of directly impacted people.

We believe the only way we can achieve these goals is by building power together - Right and Left coming together.

That’s a huge reason why we have taken the Trail of Truth National on tour following key presidential campaign events. We believe both parties have failed us to date, as evidenced by ever-increasing overdose fatality rates and the fact that the very most basic need still has not been met - immediate access to treatment. We also believe that any elected official and either party is entirely CAPABLE of doing the right thing.

Our trip to the Presidential Debate in Atlanta and the Republican National Convention proved the power of this approach as we had a mix of Democrats, Independent and Republican staff, board members, and partners together at these actions.

Many of us were unsure of what it would be like performing an action outside of the Republican National Convention, but coming out of it, I felt incredible hope as we had nothing but a positive experience. The majority of our conversations with passersby, convention attendees, delegates, elected officials, and the media were incredibly positive. Not one person disagreed with our goals and everyone agreed they were sensible and reasonable requests.

Our board member, Kim Durkee, a registered Republican who follows the news and is more informed about politics and elected officials than most people I know, was invaluable at the Convention as her high energy, charismatic self buzzed through the crowds talking to every person she saw, recognizing key figures from media and politics and chatting with them about our mission.

Back at our Airbnb in the evening and during meal times, we would discuss how our conversations went throughout the day, we’d discuss our goals and our politics. Since we had a mix of Conservatives and Liberals in our group, the conversations were lively and informative, but because we shared a common mission, were never decisive, angry, or explosive. We opened our minds and hearts, learned from each other, heard various perspectives, and then returned to what we knew, we all want the same thing - fewer people dying from substance use-related causes. And when we focus on that, we can see how much we actually agree on.

Through the Trail of Truth National, we have committed to a common goal and promised to leave our differences outside of those goals aside. Outside of the Trail of Truth, we all can work on goals that may be more progressive or more conservative depending on our political leanings, but together we can build power to accomplish the goals we all agree upon.

And this is how we will finally create incredible, important, and lasting change. I truly believe that.

Kim Durkee carrying a Trail of Truth “Opioid Overdose Epidemic Expert” banner in downtown Milwaukee, WI.