Resistance in Review

I wanted to start this post with a lighthearted list of resolutions. But here are some of my more serious highlights from this past year.

2017 was a whirlwind of a year, both harrowing and inspiring. I don’t think I've felt such emotional extremes about our political life as I did this past year.

From the Nasty Woman movement to just last month’s ban on seven (awesome) words, we learned how to reclaim language and turn a negative intention into a source of power and inspiration. That’s where I think language worn on the body has a profound personal and political meaning.

Starting off the year strong we joined the Women’s March, in which a staggering 2.6 million participated on January 21, 2017. This monumental call to action spurred a collective conscious rising that we’re still feeling the repercussions of today. We've been learning how to stand up and speak out (#metoo) and we've been learning that helping people get to the polls does make a difference.

On December 29, I made our sixth round of donations from our Language of Resistance sales to Planned Parenthood, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and The American Civil Liberties Union. A portion of our 26.2 Necklace sales was also donated to NYRR Team for Kids, whose work brings the joy of running to children across the country. I also made a silent auction donation to Tech Kids Unlimited, an organization that empowers children with special needs to learn technology and computer science.

2017 was the year women, POC, refugees, and LGBTQ+ candidates stepped up to take back our country. Here’s the breakdown of just how amazing these wins were:

12 women elected, including:

• Joyce Craig, mayor Manchester, NH
• Michelle De La Isla, first Hispanic mayor in Topeka, KN
• Jenny Durkan, first openly lesbian mayor of Seattle, WA
• Mary Parham-Copelan, first female mayor of Milledgeville, GA
• Shoshanna Kelly, city alderman of Nashua, NH, and the first woman of color elected in the city’s history
• Vi Lyles, first black female mayor of Charlotte, NC
• Andrea Jenkins, member of Minneapolis, MN, City Council, and America’s first openly transgender woman of color elected to public office
• Dawn Adams, first openly lesbian candidate elected to the Virginia House of Delegates
• Danica Roem, first openly transgender candidate elected to the Virginia House of Delegates
• Sheila Oliver, first black lieutenant governor of New Jersey
• Janet Diaz, first Latina member of Lancaster, PA, City Council
• Lisa Middleton, member of Palm Springs, CA, City Council, first transgender person elected to a non-judicial office in the state

4 transgender people elected, including:

• Lisa Middleton, member of Palm Springs, CA, City Council, first transgender person elected to a non-judicial office in the state
• Andrea Jenkins, member of Minneapolis, MN, City Council, America’s first openly transgender wo man of color elected to public office
• Danica Roem, first openly transgender candidate elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. She booted 13-term incumbent Del. Robert G. Marshall, Virginia’s self-described “chief homophobe.”
• Tyler Titus, first transgender person to win a seat on school board in Erie, PA

17 people of color elected, including:

• Michelle De La Isla, first Hispanic major in Topeka, KN
• Jonathan McCollar, first black mayor of Statesboro, GA
• Booker Gainor, first black mayor of Cairo, GA
• Brendon Barber, first black mayor of Georgetown, SC
• Cathy Murillo, first Latina mayor of Santa Barbara, CA
• Shoshanna Kelly, city alderman of Nashua, NH, the first woman of color elected in the city’s history
• Mary Parham-Copelan, first female mayor of Milledgeville, GA
• Ravinder Bhalla, first Sikh mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey
• Vi Lyles, first black female mayor of Charlotte, NC
• Andrea Jenkins, member of Minneapolis, MN, City Council, and America’s first openly transgender woman of color elected to public office
• Wilmot Collins, first black mayor in Helena, MT, who’s also a Liberian refugee
• Melvin Carter, first black mayor in St. Paul, MN
• Elizabeth Guzman, first Latina delegate of Virginia
• Hala Ayala, first Latina delegate of Virginia
• Kathy Tran, first female Asian-American delegate of Virginia
• Sheila Oliver, first black lieutenant governor of New Jersey
• Janet Diaz, first Latina member of Lancaster, PA, City Council

These wins are both intersectional and historical. I hope this wave of progress and diversity carries over into the 2018 Midterm Elections, which are more important than ever under Trump’s presidency.

In the words of Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, these historic election wins in Virginia (and across the nation) could be “the match that sparks the wildfire of progressive change all across this country.” I’ll cheers to that, 2018.

I hope you spent your holidays with your loved ones close. I’m grateful for every one of you who’s been with me thus far.