Newsletter ~ Writing from Philadelphia DNC 2016!

Greetings!

This Unites US project has arrived in Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention! These are exciting times, where history is writing itself. We are both humbled and thrilled to be here!  

I want to begin by saying THANK YOU (from the bottom of our hearts) for the amazing response we have been receiving throughout this journey from Cleveland to Philadelphia, & through our social media! (facebook, instagram, twitter, blog)

We haven’t stopped moving since we set foot on this journey.  Our website is finally up and live, thanks to the incredible Dream Team that has formed around this project. As well, we have managed to post photos regularly on our blog & share this experience as it is happening. 

We came from Cleveland, where we displayed outside of the Convention in the public free speech zone at Willard Park. The vibe between here & Cleveland are night and day. It seems that locals in Cleveland were discouraged from engaging in activities in the city, & as a result the pedestrian traffic there was for the most part quiet.  The streets of Philadelphia on the other hand are very alive. As far as similarities between the two cities; every person we’ve met has been welcoming & I suppose our humanity & pride within our homes also unite us.

Yesterday was our first day setting up Our American History Visual Timeline & The Common Boards here in Philly. We are centrally located at Independence Park, in front of Independence hall, and directly across from the Liberty Bell & MSNBC live DNC news pavilion.  To the Philadelphia National Park Service we thank you for your warm welcome, and placing us in this strategic location.

 

The truth is our project has evolved into something much larger than we originally anticipated. Initially we set out on this journey to display my American History panels, but when submitting our proposals to the cities of Cleveland & Philadelphia, we realized that we couldn’t show up at the RNC & DNC being the bearers of only hard news. We needed to offer something more, so the Common Boards became our way of crowdsourcing some hope, perhaps even a solution.

It is no secret that our mainstream news & media are fixated on dividing us, (whether it be about politics, race, religion, economic inequality, etc).  This ‘epidemic’ has become especially prevalent as we approach the upcoming election.

Rather than feeding into this division, our intention for coming here is to focus on what brings us together as citizens of this Country, and this Earth. 

We are here focused on one question, What Do We Have in Common?

We must find a way to see one another eye to eye, to listen, recognize each other’s ‘human-ness’, and learn to find Compassion & mutual Respect! I want to know what each person holds dearest to their heart, what moves you the most, and what kind of world you wish to live in?

This is a very emotional time in America, and the political cusp is bringing outrage, fear, hope & anticipation. Hundreds of people we are communicating with daily feel the cards are stacked against them, and they are disheartened by the paradox of simultaneously being hopeful and feeling powerless.  

There is grave concern with the presidential choices we are being presented, and many citizens question if anything is really going to change in our government?  We want to feel a sense of unity, however the consensus on the streets is that most citizens are at a cross-roads between voting for a politician that represents their voice, or feeling cornered to make a decision for a candidate that they believe is the 'lesser of two evils'. I guess this is nothing new in politics, however it is especially apparent here now.

The bottom line is most people are hungry for change, the seeds are planted & a people’s revolution has already ignited.

I know I am not alone in dreaming a world that begins by shifting our collective focus towards supporting the interests of people (rather than corporate America), and makes conscious decisions based on the wellbeing and genuine strength of this planet, all living beings, and future generations to come. We need to hold accountability for our environment, and for every life on this earth.

It’s thanks to all of you that we have had an overwhelmingly positive response to this aspect of our project. What do we have in common? A lot!
 

With Love & Respect,

~ Gaye & This Unites US Dream Team

To follow our journey;
- stay tuned on our blog,  
- share with friends or anyone who may benefit from this,  post on your social medias.

We would love your Contribution!
- post on your social media channels an image of yourself with your words of what we have in common... & #Hashtag#:
 #thisUnitesUS