Is this darkness the darkness of the tomb —
or of the womb?
One year later, the question still burns bright. In the last year, we have lost so much — in hate crimes and mass shootings, detentions and deportations, bans and border walls, assaults on the free press and the courts, and policies that provoke violence abroad and at home. This is not a battle between left and right, but between democracy and authoritarianism.
In the darkest moments of the year, I have tasted ash in my mouth.
Yet at the same time, we have seen millions of people rising up in the streets and online to march, protest, and organize on a scale we've never before seen. Together we are laboring with communities in the fire, creating pockets of revolutionary love in our cities, classrooms, homes, and in the small venues of our lives.
There are times it feels like we are birthing a new future.
Labor requires pain - and love.
This is where we come in as the Revolutionary Love Project -- to produce tools, stories, and thought leadership to help us labor in love. We are building a curriculum, book, TV series, trainings, and national days of action. The goal: to equip people in practicing love as a public ethic -- love for others, our opponents, and ourselves.
So far, we've done all this work as a band of volunteers. We are a team of scholars, educators, and activists. Many of you have asked how you can support us so that we can scale up our work. We've finally made that possible.
I invite you to be a FOUNDING DONOR of the Revolutionary Love Project — at any amount, whether $10, $100 or $1000. If you donate before the year's end, we will mail you a 5-pack of Revolutionary Love postcards as our thank you gift. If you donate $100 or more, please leave your number so that we can thank you personally. Donate here.
Thank you for journeying with us — and we’re only just getting started.
Scroll down to see our year-in-review — and a preview of what's to come!
In Chardi Kala, joy even in the darkness —
Valarie + Amy, Melissa, Julianna and the Fellows of the Revolutionary Love Project
Here is what we have done together:
Register now at Middle Church.
A Book with Random House + Curriculum Supported by a team of research scholars.
National Week of Action: The Week of Revolutionary Love, February 2018
Sign the Declaration.
Sign the Declaration.
sign the declaration
We pledge to rise up in Revolutionary Love.
We declare our love for all who are in harm’s way, including refugees, immigrants, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, LGBTQIA people, Black people, Latinx, the indigenous, the disabled, and the poor. We stand with millions of people around the globe rising up to end violence against women and girls (cis, transgender and gender non-conforming) who are often the most vulnerable within marginalized communities. We vow to see one another as brothers and sisters and fight for a world where every person can flourish.
We declare love even for our opponents. We vow to oppose all executive orders and policies that threaten the rights and dignity of any person. We call upon our elected officials to join us, and we are prepared to engage in moral resistance throughout this administration. We will fight not with violence or vitriol, but by challenging the cultures and institutions that promote hate. In so doing, we will challenge our opponents through the ethic of love.
We declare love for ourselves. We will practice the dignity and care in our homes that we want for all of us. We will protect our capacity for joy. We will nurture our bodies and spirits; we will rise and dance. We will honor our mothers and ancestors whose bodies, breath, and blood call us to a life of courage. In their name, we choose to see this darkness not as the darkness of the tomb – but of the womb. We will breathe and push through the pain of this era to birth a new future.
Signed,
Watch the video.
Would you continue this labor of love with us?
GIVE NOW TO SUPPORT THE REVOLUTIONARY LOVE PROJECT
We invite you to make a gift of any amount and become a founding donor. Thank you for breathing and pushing with us. #BreatheAndPush
The Revolutionary Love Project envisions a world where love is a public ethic and shared practice in our lives and politics. We generate stories, tools, and thought leadership to equip people to practice the ethic of love in the fight for social justice.
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Copyright © 2017 The Revolutionary Love Project, All rights reserved.
Groundswell Movement
Our mailing address is:
The Revolutionary Love Project
University of Southern California
University Park Campus
University Religious Center, Room 106
Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
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