Last night, the protest through Chicago was amazing, inspiring, uplifting. As I reflect on all of my feelings, I’m struck with pride for being a part of this moment, this movement. This is one of the most important things I’m doing in my life.
Admittedly, I went a little begrudgingly to the kickoff place. I was emotionally and physically exhausted from the entire day, not to mention the previous night, and my energy was drained. “I’ll just stop by,” I said, “on the way home from work to show a little solidarity.” Though I didn’t want to miss the event, it took everything I had to muster heading down there. It helped a friend was with me.
Then I arrived to an amassing group of people at the base of Trump Tower in downtown Chicago. Immediately I’m surrounded by so many beautiful people. People of all walks of life, color, position and background. People who want the same things for this country, their fellow man and themselves. People who stand for love over hate, inclusion over exclusion, hope over fear. People with signs reading “Love Trumps Hate” and people advocating for their loved ones.
It wasn’t long, maybe 10 minutes, before we took to Chicago’s streets, starting at Trump Tower and making our way through downtown during rush hour. We took to State Street, traveling north past The Chicago Theatre. We crossed the bridge toward the west side of Trump Tower. We headed to Chicago Avenue. We took to Michigan Avenue, spanning both sides of the street and stopping traffic. Later, I saw we took to Lake Shore Drive, and in the streets of many cities all across America. We exercised our right to protest. We exercised our right to speak. We exercised our belief in being heard.
We chanted and let our voices ring out against the echo chambers of the towering buildings surrounding us. We demonstrated civil unrest. We were supported by passersby and drivers alike. The Chicago Police were present, focused on crowd control and keeping the protest peaceful. For what I saw, everyone was respectful, regardless of their views and reason for being there.
Some may claim these protests are because we’re sore losers. But this is so much more than “my candidate” over the other winning. We protest against hate, bigotry and misogyny. We protest for love of our fellow man. We protest for a women’s right to choose, for fair treatment of all people, for climate control, for fair immigration laws. We protest for what we hope this country can and should be. What this country should already be.
If you weren’t able to attend the protest or one near you, I am with you. For my LGBT brothers and sisters, I am with you. For my friends of color, I am with you. For the women who are tired of fighting or just getting started, I am with you. For all of us who are afraid, I am with you.
And we are not alone. #StrongerTogether #LoveTrumpsHate
Be inspired.
One of the best things I've ever done in my career is work with Kate Hamilton. Her enthusiasm for all things editorial, not to mention her energy and passion for any project she's involved with, is contagious. In addition to being a natural born leader, she's also a creative type, a thinker, a stickler for details, and someone with incredible vision and the drive to get things done. I always marvel at how she is constantly teaching herself new things. She always seems to be ahead of the curve on anything related to social media, and she also has an eye for design. This lady rocks! And she continues to be a mentor to me and others in journalism and communications.
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I met Kate through the Association of Women Journalists (AWJ) and immediately was impressed (and inspired) by her creativity, drive, work ethic and use of social media. Her passion for journalism, digital media and communications overall is evident in the projects she takes on, including LoganSquarist, an online news outlet that she founded that uses social media to socialize the neighborhood. What I admire about Kate is her vitality as well as her desire to keep learning and growing personally and professionally. Kate is a modern-day renaissance woman who is multitalented (ask about her travel, knitting and marathon exploits!) and who brings instant value to any team or organization.
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