“There is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it.”
-excerpt from Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem, The Hill We Climb.
We have a new President today. And a new Vice President. And a new Secretary of Education and a new Secretary of the Interior AND the first ever National Climate Advisor and hundreds of others in new leadership roles.
And so many did so much to get us here. And we’ve got work to do.
All of us.
To address the problems of racism, white supremacy, and climate crisis we are going to need to step into our truest, most courageous selves. We are going to need every one of our varied skills, know-how, and communities.
One of my favorite thought leaders of this moment, Valarie Kaur created a beautiful opportunity to usher us in to this work called The People’s Inauguration. It is art, and music, and insight from wise thought leaders, and ritual, and creativity, and collective visioning for the future.
January 21st kicks off 10 days of virtual conversations, artistic expressions, music performances, teach-ins, vigils and around-the-table family ceremonies. Some events will focus on grief and healing; others on justice and reckoning, others on joy and rising. All of them will have one thing in common: the expression of a “people’s oath” that recommits us to our core values and to one another.
If you want to join me, you can sign up here. Let’s heed Amanda Gorman’s words and bravely step into the light together.