Today is Trans Day of Visibility, and Thursday, April 3 marks the inaugural We Need Diverse Books Day.
At a time when the mere concept of diversity itself is under assault by the full force of the United States government, now is not the time to get weak-kneed about affirming our values and standing up for what’s right.
Diversity is strength. Equality is truth. Hate is cowardice.
We deserve a meritocratic marketplace of ideas and art, where everyone has a chance to tell their story. Where every child can see themselves reflected in stories so they might know that however dire their present circumstances, they’re not alone.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Jefferson owned slaves. His pen dripped with hypocrisy. But the words capture an ineffable truth we have been imperfectly stumbling toward for the last 250 years. We still have an immense amount of work to do to get there.
It is absolutely self-evident that we’re all created equal, that we all deserve the chance to be free to pursue our happiness. Not even the greediest, most powerful would-be king can erase those truths.
Five years ago, millions of people braved a raging pandemic to march in the streets in support of justice. Now the empire is striking back.
This isn’t the time to cower. These inarguable values are just as true as they have ever been. A more just, more equitable world remains possible.
Now’s the time when we pull up our sleeves and get to work.
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Art: Georgia Landscape by Henry Ossawa Tanner
Awesome post, and thanks for writing this.
P.S. There’s a country-wide Hands Off! rally this weekend. Get out and let your voices be heard, people!
A great post, and I thank you for it.
The protest Cinthia mentions is detailed here:
https://handsoff2025.com/?SQF_SOURCE=indivisible
Click on “find event” and there’s likely one near you (there will be more than 1,000 Hands Off protests around the country on April 5th).
I’ll be attending the one in my city, where we’ll be starting on the front steps of City Hall. My spouse and I have already made our signs. We’ve discovered that joining protests with our fellow Americans is empowering and mood-enhancing!
I just learned (in case anyone wants to know) that the April 5th protest in my town will be a couple of blocks south of City Hall at the Paseo.
Cory Booker gave me hope! I slept well last night for the first time in more than two months.
Thank you for your words! Reading them from abroad as I am following what is occurring in your country, and in the world for that matters. Yes, we cannot give up and absolutely need to “pull up our sleeves and get to work”.
It needs all of us–all of us who hate what’s happening in the world–to stand up and make our voices heard.
I’m not in the US, but it’s worrying to see what’s happening there, in your country. It must be even more worrying for those living there.
But right wing politics, extreme religious views and authoritarianism is growing worldwide. Hatred and intolerance, too.
It’s worrying, but we must fight it with everything we have.
When I wanted to move from being a stand-up comedian to being a serious subject public speaker, I knew I would need further training and guidance. Whilst there are many similarities between the two, there are also many differences and so I joined a Speakers Association that runs over 200 local clubs throughout England.
The first rule that I learnt was that none of my speeches could be about – or even include references to – sex – religion – or politics.
Coming from adult comedy as I did, I found this rule old fashioned and restrictive – to begin with.
I now think it is the best rule that I learnt because no matter what your own views are – whether they be mainstream or extreme – they are YOUR views and they should be kept that way.
If you speak on a serious subject such as Goal Setting And How To Achieve Them – Health And Fitness And Wellbeing – Mastering The Craft Of Writing – or whatever – the people have come to hear you speak on that subject and that subject only. You cannot afford to offend or alienate your audience who are perfectly within their rights to have opposite views to your own.
Coming from a comedy background, it would be so easy for me to make fun of a country of 340 million people that decides the best one amongst you is an inept, morally bankrupt, crooked, lying, moron named Donald Trump – who you did not only elect once, but twice – which has made you the laughing stock of the entire world.
But I don’t because that is not what I am there to speak about and that is not what they have come to hear me speak about – and quite frankly they could not care less for my views on sex – religion – or politics.
As Johnny Cash sang in his song, “The One On The Right Is On The Left” about a folk group made up of people of different political persuasions:
“Just work on harmony and diction;
Play your banjo well;
And if you have political convictions;
Keep ’em to yourself.”
Yes!