One day I'm going to write here about my experience organizing the Women's March of Asbury Park. It feels like it's still very much going on, so it's not ready to come out yet. The facts of the matter are captured in the links below. A wild idea, a casual yes, and after less than one week of planning, 6000 people marching through the great streets of Asbury Park who got to experience catharsis, healing, strength, hope, and the beginning a movement that will change the course of the history of our nation.
It has already altered the course of my life in a powerful way. Rather than setting me off on a path I never thought I'd walk, it woke me up to the very power of the path I'd always been walking. I am the child of committed citizens who hung portraits of our greatest presidents on our walls. A 24-hour loop of NPR played in my house for as long as I can remember. I declared my major in History at NYU a few months before the Twin Towers fell, which I watched from my dorm at Union Square. I spent the first decade of my professional career at Quotable Cards, finding, editing, and designing the inspired words of some of the greatest writers, thinkers, and doers of our times. I've spent the past five years of my life at Smith, which has been a professional crucible for me, burning away the accumulation of learned behaviors that I used to hide and keep myself small. The people I work with have been as committed to me as my own damn parents, reminding me what a gift we human beings can be to each other. And I have found friends who are adventurers, up to big things, up to making a difference, who build community wherever they go.
(I'm watching the Oscars right now so maybe I'm getting a little swept away. But remember my old site, Iamunrepeatable.com? This is me.)
Sometimes when the light shines on you, you get a chance to see who you really are, who you've always been, and that you have always been enough. And that knowledge frees you up to know that you can do anything.
Coverage of our march from our local paper of record, the Asbury Park Press, with a short video.
http://www.app.com/videos/news/politics/2017/01/21/women's-march-asbury-park/96897838/
A short video of my remarks at the beginning of the march, including The Oath.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCJETqadNBo
Our follow up letter to the editor to the Asbury Park Sun:
http://asburyparksun.com/gratitude-in-their-own-words/
Our Women's March of Asbury Park page, including our next event:
https://www.facebook.com/womensmarchAP/
