In Solidarity

The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on the distant hill

for the caged bird

sings of freedom.

“Caged Bird” Maya Angelou

A heart that bleeds in grief is a heart that is strong enough to summon the cry for freedom.  A rose for every mother who has mourned a child lost to oppression.  A black dove to honor each beautiful soul fallen at the cruel hands of systemic racism.  Hands of all colors, all races, all humanity, clasped in solidarity – a pledge to do the work needed to realize love.

There is a time to hold steady.  And there is a time to allow change to course through like thundering waves abolishing unconscious paradigms and age old thought patterns to make space for the fullness of what is present, the challenges, and the freedom that is available when we are willing to see it through.

I’ve learned I have layers and layers of resistance.  I’ve also learned that as soon as I am willing to address them, they move.  The more I’m willing to openly listen and communicate instead of bolstering my own ideas until they become projections on others, the barriers to connection begin to melt away.  When I’m able to let go of my story long enough to really hear another’s, empathy stretches its wings to fly.  At the intersection of all of our realities is where love lives.

If I’m here to enact change, then I begin inside myself.

If I’m here to bring about a future of love and equity, then I uncover all the places where I resist these things inside myself.

Love is the way forward, and truth is its highest form.

May all Black lives be respected, uplifted, honored, and loved.

With love, and in solidarity,

Lindsay

Free high res downloads for your use:

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Purchase 18×24″ poster by Art Printer Los Angeles with proceeds donated to Black Lives Global Network

Send $40 (includes shipping) Venmo to @Lindsay-Carron or PayPal to lindsay.carron@gmail.com and fill out the contact form below with your shipping information and poster preference.  Proceeds will be donated as they are received.