How do you support the people standing up? They shouldn't be going through the things that they are going through. They shouldn't be marginalized.
This is the beginning of a series of exploring possibilities, of possible ways of making them feel that we have solidarity with them, that they are not alone, that we hear them, we recognize them, and we appreciate what they have done and continue to do.
In the broadest possible way, we have to do more than say that what's happening is wrong. We have to say that we can be a much, much better country than this, that we can not only have a future that is better than this, we have a present that can be better than this.
One way to respond to the present is to say that we do not accept this reality. It's awful. It's not the kind of thing that people should want. People should not get up in the morning and say that this is okay. It's not.
The reason this series was born is to recognize the people who have already stood up and said that this is not okay, that we can do so much better, and who have acted it out in their own lives. As was said earlier, we can say that we hear them and recognize them and we appreciate what they have done and what they continue to do. The articles that follow will suggest that there are many places to begin.
This series was inspired by the actions and thoughts of many people whose names are featured in the articles that follow. And by the actions and thoughts of many people whose names are as yet unknown. For this opening piece, I have drawn especially on the words of Dr. Timothy Snyder to whom this nation owes a great debt of gratitude.
Please read the disclaimer. ©2020 Dennis J. Wall. All rights reserved.
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