Partisan lines are easy to draw and disparage in the media, particularly on a day like today, when Republicans passed a replacement of Obamacare. But under every position is often a principle that isn't just about politics. And that's true today, too. 

Across the world, we're seeing a sense that change can come only from someone on the fringes – the center is staid and stagnant. France's Emmanuel Macron is interesting because he's trying to prove that wrong.

How do we view our neighbor? With affordable housing, that can be a tough question. We found that Houston was an important window into how communities weigh legitimate concerns with a desire to help others build better lives. 

Health and death-rate disparities between the white and African-American populations remain a real concern – as do some sobering, society-wide trends including an increasing use of opioids, a rise in suicide, and an overall drop in US life expectancy. Death rates among black Americans in all age groups under 65 remain much higher than for whites. Their life expectancy is four years lower. And those ages 18 to 34 are nine times as likely to die from homicide as whites in the same age group, according to a report this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the report also shows that African-Americans have made major gains in life expectancy, with the mortality gap between white and black Americans halved since 1999. Between 1999 and 2015, black people saw a 25 percent drop in overall death rate, compared with a 14 percent decrease for white people. Contributing to the decline: a drop in deaths from disease among older African-Americans. Those 65 and older now have a lower death rate than their white counterparts.

What’s the best way for a community to counter hate speech? A good example happened in Boston after Adam Jones, an African-American and a star baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, was subjected to racist heckling on May 1 by some fans at Fenway Park. 

Red Sox officials quickly apologized and promised to punish such fan behavior. Massachusetts political leaders denounced the racism. “We are better than this,” said Mayor Martin Walsh. When Mr. Jones came to bat in the first inning the following day, almost the entire stadium gave him a sustained standing ovation. Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale stepped off the mound to let the crowd continue its warm response. One hot dog seller told fans in the outfield bleachers, “Be nice to that guy, guys.”

Afterward Jones said he appreciated the love and support and then added, “I don’t need all that stuff. Just be normal.” 

Indeed, communities that want to prevent hate speech must actively “be normal,” or embrace those of a different race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Punishment of hate speech can help deter such acts, but an enduring solution lies in communities coming together to offer a collective response of affection.

Another example occurred in February after gravestones in a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis were toppled and community activists rushed to repair them. Also that month, commuters on a New York City train took out their hand wipes and erased Nazi symbols painted on the windows. 

In Evanston, Ill., hundreds of runners hold an annual “race against hate.” The event marks the 1999 killing of a basketball coach, Ricky Byrdsong, by a white supremacist. The race has inspired similar events, such as a recent teen basketball game called “Hoops Against Hate” in Yonkers, N.Y.

In New York, a group called CONNECT provides training to help bystanders know how to intervene when witnessing a hate incident. In South Dakota, a multifaith coalition of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim clerics is rallying communities against hate with a theme of “Love Thy Neighbor: No Exceptions.” 

“We have seen communities confronted with hate and discrimination come together across perceived differences to support each other and try to prevent future hate incidents,” says Vanita Gupta, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and a former Justice Department civil rights prosecutor. “Education, awareness, and acceptance of group differences are the cornerstones of a long-term solution to prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry in this country.”

And, she might have added, so is a standing ovation for a ballplayer who just wants people to be “normal.”