But there’s good news. We are part of a new Liberal Movement – what Reverend William Barber calls the Third Reconstruction.
Our Liberal movement is based on our liberal values
Empathy – caring for others
Protection – ensuring that others are safe
Empowerment – giving everyone a voice
Common Good – serving the needs of society
And our Liberal Movement has its own recent history.
We can start in 2011 with the Occupy Movement. This movement pointed out the extreme financial inequality between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of us – the 99%
In 2013, following the murder of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of his killer, the African American community rose up saying “Black Lives Matter”. Also, in 2013, Rev. Barber began Moral Mondays in North Carolina, a grassroots effort giving voice to the moral question of Social Justice.
In 2015, marriage equality – marriage centered on love – became the law of the land
And in 2016, Bernie Sanders’ campaign taught us that Healthcare is a human right, a moral right that does not depend on your ability to pay
2017 was the start of a difficult era, but on January 21st, millions of women took to the streets across this country and around the world, in the Women’s March. This was followed soon after by women publicly standing loud and strong against sexual harassment, assault, and violence – and hearing thousands of other women say “Me Too”.
We had tragedy in 2018 with yet another school massacre, this time in Parkland, Florida. But this time, the students stood up and called “BS” to thoughts and prayers without action. They organized the massive March for Our Lives in Washington DC and around the country to stop gun violence and demand gun safety.
2018 began tragically – but it ended in a Blue Wave triumph as Democrats flipped the US House, returning Nancy Pelosi to lead the most diverse US House in history. Diverse by race, by ethnicity, by gender, by religion, and by age. The US House looks like America.
This is our Liberal Movement. A movement that is based on the values we share:
Empathy
Protection
Empowerment
Common good
And a broad coalition of people and groups who hold these liberal values.
Out of these values and this diversity of peoples emerge the frames that express our Liberal beliefs. The source of our liberal truth is our liberal values and our diversity. A genuinely grassroots approach that builds from the bottom up. And one that evolves, that changes over time as our world changes, our knowledge changes, and our experience changes.
This is a movement that does not fear change – we embrace it. This is a movement – this Liberal Movement – that is symbolized by an infinity loop. An infinite loop of value-based, grassroots activism, an activism that is building frames, growing roots, and getting stronger.
We’ve come a long way since 2011. We’ve got a long way to go, but our feet are planted in our values, we’re moving and we’re moving forward.
This is Part 2 of a 4-part series. Read the whole series here:
Part 2: Liberal Movement