We live in a nation where the obscene wealth of billionaires exceeds the combined net worth of the bottom 60% of our population. Oligarchs have seized control of politics, products, and even the flow of information. We worship celebrity, chase the illusion of eternal youth, and measure our worth against impossible standards of beauty. Politicians cut the services that sustain our most vulnerable citizens while billions flow into unjust wars. And at the center of it all stands our billionaire president, ridiculing the disabled, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
I could go on. If you’re paying attention, so could you. But let’s stop. Grab your favorite beverage, lift your glass, and join me in this toast.
- Here’s to the hundreds of thousands of Americans without shelter today.
- Here’s to those for whom the rising costs of gas, groceries, and medical care places them one paycheck away from the street.
- Here’s to those who are still hesitant to fully live out their sexual identity for fear of judgement.
- Here’s to those who will never be deemed “pretty” or “handsome” according to our society’s superficial norms.
- Here’s to the estimated 50 million people in our country who struggle with various forms of addiction.
- Here’s to the nearly 70,000 immigrants who came to our borders seeking better lives but are currently languishing in detention centers.
- Here’s to those returning from prison, who served their sentences but continue to be judged, excluded, and denied a second chance.
- Here’s to veterans who returned from war and yet struggle to find their place in a society that so quickly forgets them.
- Here’s to those who suffer the stigma of mental illness.
- Here’s to those on what we call “the spectrum,” whose differences are too often treated as deficiencies.
To all of them and more, raise a glass with me and say WE SEE YOU! YOU MATTER!
