If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you probably know how much I enjoy finding new, inspiring people that are following their passion and using their passion to impact others. This week, I have found two very amazing people and I can't resist the urge to share their platforms.
The first is someone who has a passion for something I am very attracted to: spoken word poetry. We all know how much I love Sarah Kay and her initiative through Project VOICE. This woman has a similar campaign, but goes about her education a little differently. Denice Frohman is a spoken word poet, lyricist, and educator that explores the intersections of race, gender, sexuality and "inbetweeness" that exists in us all. She has amazing talent. Her work is focused on social change and I must say, she has some of the best engaging ways of speaking about it. Somehow, Frohman manages to make the conversation easy without making the issues sound insignificant. I have listened to quite a bit of her poetry and I'm going to share my favorite one today. I'll also link her website here.
The second person is someone that I really admire. He is a homosexual that is exploring his faith on a personal, intimate level; He is finding his own truths. I've written several posts (like this one) on being confident in your own beliefs and making sure that your beliefs are truly your own. I believe in self-discovery and searching for your own truths and I think this person is someone that really exemplifies that belief. Brian Murphy is a human rights and religious advocate that uses the booming world of social media to spread his message of courage, faith, and unity. He encourages us to ask the hard questions and have the difficult conversations if they will lead to a greater understanding and acceptance of each others differences. You can visit his website by clicking on this link. I am going to share one of my favorite videos (I love them all!) of his here.
The two of these people inspire my voice. They reignite my passion for sharing what I believe to be true. They also remind me that social acceptance goes so many ways. It's not just a struggle of straight versus gay. There are so many social differences that we need to learn to respect and appreciate. I am thankful for people like Denice and Brian who are able to spread a message of acceptance. Like Joanna Hoffman says in her poem Pride, "So when my friend asks me the reason there are no straight pride parades, I tell her 'you can't be proud of something you never had to fight for.'" People like Denice and Brian make the struggle real, but offer a light at the end of the tunnel. The fight doesn't have to last much longer, if we all learn social acceptance, to the best of our abilities. If we try to love one another, despite differences, our efforts can create a whole new meaning of the word unity.
"Gay is not the new black. Black is the new black. Racism and homosexuality are two separate issues and shouldn't be labeled as one form of social injustice." -Brian Murphy
No comments:
Post a Comment