Holding Up the Torch
Welcome to the new America.
It’s a place where we are shut inside. But our voices don’t have to be.
There is violence in the streets, and violence within our very bodies.
Voices and hearts screaming to get out.
What can we do?
“Yes, and…”
Not “But…”
Take a moment to picture the Statue of Liberty.
The torch is the idea of freedom and equality.
The arm is those directly affected by recent actions.
The rest of her green and flowing body is the support--the friends and allies who want to help affect change.
Sustainable change. Permanent change.
We can only continue to raise the torch with “Yes”.
We can only continue to hold up the message, the needs of those who need us by supporting each other. “Yes.”
If the statue’s body isn’t sound and secure, isn’t kept upright by those trying to love, the whole thing comes crumbling down. The message lost amidst the rubble.
Consider your own privilege, don’t worry about someone else’s.
Meditate on your own blessings rather than calling someone out on theirs.
Educate with encouragement.
“Yes, and...”
Support your neighbor in affecting change.
Join your voice with theirs.
“Yes, and…”
Historical note:
“In 1886, The Statue of Liberty was a symbol of democratic government and Enlightenment ideals as well as a celebration of the Union's victory in the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery. Edouard de Laboulaye, the French political thinker, U.S. Constitution expert, and abolitionist, who first proposed the idea of a great monument as a gift from France to the United States was a firm supporter of President Abraham Lincoln and his fight for abolition. Laboulaye saw abolition not only as a way to eliminate immorality, but also as a way to protest repressive tendencies in France.”
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