What I really want to do tonight is to give America a big hug. The kind of hug I give to my son when he’s hurt and is too small to understand why he is in pain. The kind of hug that only a mother can give. You know the one; it makes you feel safe, it makes you feel larger than life and it renews your faith.
To my LGBTQ friends – I love you and I will stand with you and fight for your rights. Your right to love is just as valid as my own and no one can take that away from you.
To my Muslim friends – I do not fear you, I never have and I promise I never will. I will always fight for your right to follow your faith and to raise your family peacefully and without fear.
To my black friends – my heart breaks as I listen to and read the words people use to demean and devalue you. Your lives matter – to me and to the world. I will stand beside you and I will fight with you.
To my immigrant friends – I welcome you with arms open so wide. My home is your home. You are safe with me.
To my fellow women – your voice matters. Your work matters. You are worth so much more than they say you are – and that worth is not defined by a dress size or how the mirror defines you. Further, no man can define you. Or own you. Or assault you.
To my friends that disagree – I still love you. Your words don’t represent me and I do not believe they represent America, but I respect you and I will fight for your rights as well.
How do we come together after a year that has spawned so much hate and ripped open so many wounds? Love. Love is the only way we move forward and it starts with us. It starts with us standing up and fighting for those who’s rights are threatened. It starts when we refuse to let differences build walls. We have to look out for each other.
That is what makes America great.