The George W. Bush Presidential Center kicked off celebrations of America’s 250th birthday this week with our ninth annual Forum on Leadership on the Heart of America.
Some of our favorite moments included New York Times columnist David French’s comments on freedom of speech; a discussion on preserving our natural resources with the National Park Foundation’s Jeff Reinbold and the National Park Trust’s Grace Lee; and a panel on democratic milestones with the LBJ Foundation’s Mark K. Updegrove, 42nd Parallel Films’ Michelle Ferrari, and St. Luke Community United Methodist Church’s Richie Butler.
We awarded the 2026 George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership to David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-chairman of The Carlyle Group; the George W. Bush Institute Citation to Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America; and the George W. Bush Institute Trailblazer Citation to Joni Carsell, CEO and president of Texans by Nature.
1. The heart of America
“There are some who whisper that the heart of America doesn’t beat with the same vigor that it once did. That we need a heart transplant, or that we’re on life support because we’ve had a heart attack, as evidenced by the fact that Americans disagree about so much. This morning, I want to challenge the premise that the disagreements we have necessarily imply dysfunction of heart. To the contrary, when disagreement is done well, it’s vital for our nation’s survival.”
— Shilo Brooks, President & CEO, George W. Bush Presidential Center
2. At liberty to speak
“Defend the rights of others that you would like to exercise yourself.”
— David French, opinion columnist, The New York Times
3. Cooperating across differences
“The American genius is that we recognize that when groups are given their freedom, they build up their nation. America would literally be unrecognizable without the contributions of our diverse faith communities. This is pluralism. Respect for diverse identities, relationships between different communities, cooperation with one another for the common good.”
— Eboo Patel, founder and president, Interfaith America
4. The land that unites us
“People are realizing that the parks belong to me, and I belong in the parks, and that we all have a responsibility to not only take care of them but also the environment.”
— Grace Lee, executive director, National Park Trust
5. In pursuit of a more perfect union
“We have to continue to remind ourselves and reinforce the learnings from our history so that we do not repeat that and so that we continue to affirm, as we are today, that all men are created equal.”
— Richie Butler, senior pastor, St. Luke Community United Methodist Church
