"Over a hundred years ago, women much like me took a stage. Women such as Susan B Anthony and Alice Paul, demanding the right to vote. How then, over a hundred years later, are we STILL fighting about the rights to vote?

We were missing a critical ingredient needed to give and keep rights. Unity.

Often we talk about when women gained the right to vote - but that is actually a lie. Women didn't get the right to vote - white women did. The issue of letting women of color vote was just "too divisive." Black women were left behind.

After white women were given the right to vote, they turned their backs on their black sisters, and it took 50 more years for black men and women to gain the right to vote. Black men, too, had been left behind.

Gerrymandering, voter suppression, the list of ways we have attempted to safeguard only OUR votes is long and horrible. Many, many people have been left behind as we fought to have our voices heard at the poles. Like starved dogs, we fight over scraps of power and privilege.

At 50501, we have been questioned frequently about who we stand up for.

A few weeks ago, an African American man was brultalized by the police. When 50501 called for a protest, the questions began - why are you protesting for this? This isn't about Trump! We need to focus! This was followed by another question, about a week later, about why we allow people to speak about freeing Palestine. This is a "divisive" issue! Why can't we just focus on Trump?

As this was rolling around in my brain, a song was taught to me, by Joshua Bailey. The first set of lyrics tore at my heart. "No one is getting left behind this time." But the second line...

The second line.

"We get there together, or we never get there at all. " We get there... together. Or we don't get there, at all.

Unity.

Lack of unity is what has kept us stuck in this vicious cycle, fighting for scraps of basic rights and dignity. But it doesn't have to be this way.

When we are asked why we advertise pride events, we can choose unity. We can answer "We get there together, with our gay community partners, or we never get there at all!"

When we are asked why we let people speak for a free Palestine, we can choose unity. We can answer, "We get there together, with our brothers and sisters in Gaza, or we never get there at all!"

When we are asked why we call for a protest, as a black man is punched REPEATEDLY by an IMPD officer as he LAID ON THE GROUND, we can choose unity! We can answer, we get there with our brothers and sisters of color, or we never get there at all!

Today, I call for us to unite together! I call for us to unite as one voice, demanding liberty and justice for ALL! WE fight together, or never! TOGETHER, or NEVER! "