where grapes go to die

what a journey this weekend has been...

i'm a trainer/facilitator for camp courage, which took place in fresno this past weekend. imagine for just a moment what it must be like to be gay in a community that isn't open and accepting, a place that might look you in the eye and tell you, if you happen to be gay, that you're going to hell. the locals kept referring to it as 'the bible belt of california' and they would certainly know better than i. but the fresno i met this weekend, in that ball-room in the downtown holiday inn, will forever be a part of my story, and the lives my team touched and changed are now in possession of the tools, the network, and the mentorship to go out and change their world.

i believe in equality for all, and i find so much reward and personal satisfaction in helping organize communities, and empowering people to go out and make the world a better place. i also believe that the lgbt community is badly in need of a central theme of love and inclusion, and a leader who unites them in a fight for greater equality. that community, in particular, has for too long been united in division, perpetrators of the hate they wish to abolish, and mired in the self-pity and reactivity of the oppressed. but they want to change. and as far as i've been able to tell, it only really takes one voice to change the world, and my team and i helped nearly 200 new community organizers find the heart and the words to develop their own voice.

and i have a great deal of hope that the tradition we all began as campers united by obama, is spreading far and wide, and that the campaigns of this generation will be successful because they will carry that tried and true mantra respect, empower, and include...

ashley and i had a kick ass road-trip (both going and coming) that today took us through selma, california, 'the raisin capital of the world'. why is that so funny? well, because who can't stop laughing about the place where grapes go to die?

~k