Being in public relations, we know how to survive pretty much anything life throws at us. But the world of Politics has shocked us to our core. The 20th Presidential election has exposed the ugly in both political camps while the media has exposed the most random and horrible acts of violence. This does not represent us. We do not believe that is what our society is; there has to be some silver lining coming from this election. (No Millennials, it’s not you getting days off from college and spending time drinking hot cocoa in crying rooms with coloring books on college campuses around America.
Somewhere in cyber land, the humble safety pin has emerged as a new symbol for us to unite. Somehow this small piece of metal has become a sharp distinction of who will stand up for anyone feeling unsafe or discriminated against. It does not matter who you voted for. We are still the same country that elected President Barack Hussain Obama…Twice!
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a seamstress got off of work as many of us do today. She was tired and taking public transportation home. How many of us take Uber, Lyft, or the Metrolink home from work too? This woman, Rosa Parks (I’m sure you have heard of her), was bullied out of her seat and arrested. There was no one around at that time with a safety pin that was willing to stand up for her. At least not anyone who was not equally intimidated as well or willing to pay the price she paid for standing her ground.
How could history have changed if someone did stand up with her? Not just other African Americans either; someone else – someone who would have been willing to get arrested beside her. For a society that considers itself more evolved, consider the outcome today. It is not out of the ordinary for someone like Rosa to not get arrested, but someone would have likely added live Facebook video, gotten arrested for recording, and then shot for being held in contempt of that officer.
We live in a country where we have the freedom of speech to start speaking out and making others feel safe. No one should ever feel as alone as Parks did on that long evening. We should never let anyone feel that way now. It is a sad fact that the squeaky wheel gets replaced first. Sometimes silence is more powerful. And that is where we at #TeamJade leave you. Pin that safety pin to your hearts. We may be silent but we will be deliberate. Deliberate with our vote, with our thoughts, with our actions. We will stand in silent solidarity with anyone who feels threatened so no one has to be alone.
Thank you for reading,
-La Vida Verde
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