“Sing, women, sing for the years.” Paying more attention than usual to the rest of the lyrics, rather than just waiting impatiently to scream “Dream on” along with Steven Tyler, I began to wonder: Why women? Having just come off the high of the women’s march, where we sang “This Little Light of Mine” (we sounded pretty good, in spite of single-digit weather), I thought: maybe he was on to something. These women, they have something to say, something special to sing!
Among the marchers was a person (I think it was a woman but, really, once people are that bundled up, it can be hard to tell) carrying this sign: Just Ugh!! So Bad Even Introverts are Here!!
Yes! Introverts, women, teenagers, former colleagues, trans folks, children, old lefties like me, fresh feminists, church buddies, men and more. People who just had to roll out of bed on a frigid sunny Saturday to join 4,000 friends and allies in front of the Minnesota Capitol to cheer for women’s rights and human rights and justice and love. And to sing.
Perhaps: What’s-his-name could be seen as a strange gift for providing the push to get us out of our doors?
Like the GOP leaders in Minnesota who decided to put an amendment on the ballot to define marriage legally as involving a man and a woman. What were they thinking? “Enough of your funny stuff, you crazy liberals! We’ll cut you off at the pass.” Ah, but: They unwittingly provoked those liberals, plus the lovers of fellow human beings, the family members and friends of GLBT+ people, those who had been taught to love their neighbors, those simply living their lives who said other people should to be able to choose how to live, who to love, who to marry, if they wanted to. Just say no to hate. Love is love.
It wasn’t easy for me to have phone conversations with strangers, but it was oh-so-important. “You’re married, you love your wife. . . . You like your gay neighbor. What if he wanted to marry the person he loves?” “. . . oh . . . I see what you mean.” One conversation at a time; one voice speaking one’s truth to another.
The same day of the women’s march, activist John Pavlovitz came to Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. (From his blog: “It is offensive to me that millions of loving, compassionate, intelligent, kind, creative people walk away from faith because professed religious people like the Pences regularly expose them to the greatest violence.”)
He calls on all his million blog followers to live their best lives, to be their authentic selves, to nurture their compassion and kindness. John was terrific in person–funny and poignant and pointed. Like George Carlin at times, sans swearing. And he was very clear, during the Q & A, that following Jesus means more than reading scripture. We should live as Jesus would today, speaking out against injustice and having tough conversations about what’s hurtful to us in this societal landscape scorched by political rage and cultural friction. We need to take a stand against What’s-his-name and his lickspittles and sycophants.
Speak up. Sing out. BTW, it turns out “Sing, women” was a mondegreen*; the lyrics actually are “sing with me, sing for the years.” So let’s all sing: Dream on. Dream on. Dream until your dreams come true.
(*tip of the hat to Gene Rebeck)
Allison Campbell Jensen 