To "Us",

Physically, I'm very close to the source of it all. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave...316 steps. 2.5 city blocks. A 3 minute stroll or a 1 minute shuffle. I can be there quicker if necessary.

So, I'm here. 

I'm here to knuckle up for policy or peaceful protests. I'm here through tear gas, pepper spray, and mass arrests. I'm here to lock arms and "not be moved." And I'm also here...for you, the "us" and "we" who are always the most vulnerable.

But let me be clear, I'm not telling you this because I am brave.  I'm telling you this because I am terrified. I fear for the poor, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised. I fear for "us", the "we" who have been forced to define our collective experience through our never-ending struggle for the promises of justice and equality. 

I refuse to be frozen by fear. Fear will always be present but I will not let paralyze me. "Us, "we" must overcome it.  When I see Breaking News I expect an Executive Order.

When I see an Executive Order, I know that a group of "us" will be targeted. Regardless of which group, the target is "us"...our rights, our liberties, and the ideals that uphold our dreams of justice. The future may be bleak. Indeed, the worst may be coming. And at this point the "arc of the moral universe" may seem longer than it ever has in the past. 

I don't have many words of comfort for you. But I can assure you of this, I am here for you. I am here with you, shoulder to shoulder, because I recognize your humanity. And I don't have to be rocked by your struggle to stand with you.

316 steps. 2.5 city blocks. A 1 minute shuffle, or I can be there quicker if necessary. I'm down with you. I'm riding with you. And I will fight for justice...until the end.

In Solidarity,

Dorian Spence