Well Delivered Commencement : John Legend

Democracy NOW! provided video from John Legend’s commencement address to his alma mater, University of Pennsylvania. He is a very strong public speaker and has become very active in using his social status as a catalyst for social change. I admire that in artists who don’t lose sight of the cause and get caught up in the mass hoopla.

“From the war in Iraq to credit-default swaps to the internet bubble to the real estate bubble, too often we got caught up in the hype and fail to see the real truth too often, we become apathetic. We see the lies, we see the obfuscation, the deception. And we fail to point it out. Were afraid to rain on the parade, afraid to rock the boat, afraid to pursue the truth.” -John Legend

Watch for yourself.

Part 1

Part 2

Filed under: Uncategorized , activism, Barack Obama, commencement, democracy now, iraq war, john legend, michelle obama, social change, upenn

“Left Alone” – a Freedom to Marry short

Hey everyone, 

I was inspired by the Freedom to Marry contest to try and reveal the real problems about why the freedom to marry is so important to the equality of us all.  The contest said:

“Grab a camera and make a short video about why marriage matters to you.” 

So, we came up with the idea to have a loved one lost and how blatantly unfair it is because of the beliefs of the “powers that be.” There are more than 1,138 benefits that legally married couples have accessible to them and that those who aren’t legally able to marry. 

It’s not rocket science, injustice is injustice.

This short is an example of just one of the injustices.

 

visit the site Freedom to Marry to learn how you can help to end this injustice.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Martin Luther King, Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

l/t

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*Inspired by Felicia Miller & Donna Payne of HRC

**Made possible with Wonderroot

Filed under: Film Screenings, Life Experiences , activism