What now?

Nov 13 2016

Tonight I was honored to speak at a city wide rally held to find hope in the wake of this contentious election. Many of us were stunned by the results, not because a certain “political party” won but because it seems as if something darker, more insidious gained the upper hand: hatred, xenophobia, racism, sexism, homophobia. Below are the words I shared at the rally.

Over these past five days I've run the gamut of emotions. I have felt the icy finger of fear, I have baptized myself over and over again in the salty tears of grief, I have felt the steely resolve of anger and defiance.

But today, as I speak to you now, what I'm feeling is hope. What I'm feeling is pride. What I'm feeling is a fierce happiness that we are all here.
Because that means we have remembered.
We have remembered that no president makes a nation; we have remembered that we have a choice.
We have a choice in how we will respond; we have a choice in how we will step up, and reach out, and speak out, and show up for justice.

We have remembered that an army of lovers is always stronger than the forces of hate.
We have remembered that we are stronger together than apart.

A safety pin brigade might seem kinda silly to some. It might seem as if wearing a safety pin gives us a pass from action. But that's not true.
What this pin does is send out a signal of solidarity to all of us in marginalized groups. It sends out a message of loyalty and commitment to the cause of justice.
It sends out a warning to those who would seek to harm or demean our kinfolk who are people of color or queer or disabled or women or Muslims or refugees or seeking asylum here or the indigenous folks and allies who are protecting our water and land and climate; it's a warning that says not on our watch. I don't care whether you hold the highest office in nation or if you are an anonymous citizen you are put on notice that acts of bigotry and intolerance and racism and misogyny and homophobia and xenophobia will not be tolerated. We will act.
We will act not only when we see bigotry in action we will also act in our free time and in the safety of our homes. We will act with our money and with our time by donating and volunteering at organizations such as planned parenthood and the NAACP and the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
We will be upstanders and not just bystanders. We will be upstanders who show up and actively work for the safety and rights of the oppressed and not just bystanders who sing kumbaya and flash the peace sign.

So I'm happy today. I'm proud of us. I'm fiercely determined to enact and embody what this safety pin means.
It's not just a symbol. It's a commitment to action.
I know the grieving isn't over, the anger hasn't faded away, the shock and panic still reside in my gut. But I also now know this. I am not alone. And neither are you.
And together we can use our grief and anger as catalysts to create a community here in Colorado Springs and across this nation where peace and justice are the bywords, love is the path we travel, and safety and freedom is the common birthright of all our citizens.

So as we march let us affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. This is not a protest march where we let the oppression be the focus. This is an affirmation parade where all can be welcomed and affirmed. This is is diversity stroll where we will celebrate all of who we are.