(NewsNation) — The United States has been steeped in political division, leaving political leaders across the country looking for solutions on unity.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore believes a neighborly approach is the way to go.
“You can’t claim to love the country if you hate half of the people in it, so we’ve got to be a state that gets to know each other better. We’ve got to be a country that gets to know each other again,” Moore said Thursday on “CUOMO.”
It’s why Moore, the first Black governor elected in Maryland, is excited about the state’s Service Year Option program, which allows high school graduates to do a year of service work and in return receive $6,000 for a 529 savings account.
He believes it can be a pathway toward creating more unity in the country.
“Service is sticky, and in this time of political divisiveness and political vitriol, I believe deeply that service will save us,” he said. “This gives all of our young people an opportunity to be able to work all across the state to get to know each other … and they’re gonna have a true camaraderie with Marylanders from all walks of life who are now going to be their brothers and sisters for the remainder of their life.”