Black History Month
"Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that"...
Martin Luther King, Jr spoke often about love. The racist oppression and segregation he took on was probably the most deeply entrenched issue in the history of our country. It took ten full years of personal sacrifice on the part of thousands of people, but they remained committed for the duration to the power of non-violent resistance through love. Love of this country and of democracy and of the promise of our Declaration of Independence that said "all men are created equal" kept the Freedom Riders true to the cause of having the full right to vote, to have a say in this democracy.
Why do I bring up love? Because hatred is too great a burden to bear. It may be a natural response to the kinds of attacks that we've seen in the last three weeks, but hate is a destructive force. What we need is a creative force of love. We need to create community, to stand together. We need to create safety for our neighbors who are being attacked. We need to create a movement that draws people in. When we see people with love, empathy, compassion, and justice, we will create a force that cannot be stopped. The energy we bring to this struggle will be much more powerful when it is fueled by love. Like those Freedom Riders, we have a hard road ahead. Let's choose to walk in powerful love.
You may have noticed it's been a few weeks since my last newsletter. We have not been checked out! Finding words to inspire or inform has been a challenge, but we are still showing up! Last Monday, a group of about 30 or so RAD members showed up at the Richardson City Council meeting to call on the city and police department to clarify their policy on immigration enforcement in Richardson and to commit to respect, transparency and due process. You can see our comments here. We thank the city manager for his response and look forward to hearing more on the RPD & City's efforts to reach out to our immigrant neighbors.
At the same meeting, we were pleased to have the opportunity to hear from the newly formed, 2024 Community Engagement & Inclusion Committee about their goals and strategies to implement those goals and we look forward to the outcome being a more engaged city. And the week before, we gathered more than 300 signatures that went to our representatives in Austin demanding that our legislators make the abortion ban have a clear exception for the life or health of the woman. As we all know, there is a lot of work that needs to be done, and RAD is organizing actions that you can take as part of our club, both as an individual and in conjunction with the greater community. We'll be sending out calls to action, so stay ready! Action IS the Antidote to Despair!
This Thursday night Congresswoman Julie Johnson will have a virtual town hall. Thursday, February 13th, 7:00 p.m., Dial in to (855) 695-3740. This is your opportunity to hear updates from the 119th Congress and ask your representative questions directly. Come make your voice heard—they look forward to connecting with you!
Monday, President's Day, Defend Our Democracy is having a demonstration in Uptown at Ted Cruz's office. You can get details here. It will be a peaceful demonstration in protest of the current administration's egregious actions and policies. There is power in numbers - Join Us!!
We have our monthly Happy Hour coming up February 20th. This meeting is always on the Third Thursday of each month! We'll be at our regular place - Four Bullets Brewery and this month, in recognition of Black History Month, we'll be joined by Pastor David Wilson of Greater Cornerstone Baptist Church, who will be speaking with us about the power of love. It's always good to be with community, especially in these overwhelming times. Register here for details!
We have a new RAD t-shirt for 2025 as well! You can order yours for $30 or get a t-shirt and membership for $50. T-shirts will be available at our NEXT in-person meetings or can be shipped. Our t-shirt design is an homage to Jimmy Carter, who said, "We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams."
