It isn’t free: Staying in the fight for freedom

By Nancy Ford

Did you hear the recent story about some savage little man who makes his living beating up other men who helped the President of the United States celebrate his birthday by beating yet another savage little man to a bloody pulp? (Because nothing says Happy Birthday like bloody pulp.)

The story goes like this: After he had proven himself to be the best beater of all the men in all the land, the savage little man stood victoriously in a hastily constructed boxing ring on the once-sacred ground of the White House’s South Lawn. Raising his fist, he pronounced gleefully that “Michelle Obama is a man, baby!”

Charming. But don’t blame him. He was simply parroting a ridiculous lie he’d heard from other friends of the sweaty little birthday boy.

Michelle Obama is not a man. But even if she were, so what? He’d still be the greatest First Lady in U.S. history.

But back to the gladiatorial wanna-be event. As soon as it ended, reports started pouring in that the damage done to the South Lawn after is profound. Most of the grass was worn away by the frothy, shrieking hordes that trampled over it to witness the carnage. The formerly verdant lawn now matches the adjacent dusty demolition site where the White House’s East Wing used to stand.

The (sort of) good news is, this shattered image of the White House is no longer mirrored in the Reflection Pool, which is another slimy story for another slimy time. 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama didn’t attend the birthday debauchery held at the same address where she and her family had lived for eight years. She also missed seeing this savage little man slurring her femininity and the sweaty little birthday boy who grinned in response.

Michelle Obama had better things to do that weekend. She and her family were busy introducing the world to the brand-new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, “dedicated to the First Family’s legacy, the history of democracy, and grassroots social movements.”

Yes, the center is a library — a 5,000-square-foot branch of the Chicago Public Library, to be exact. There’s also a digital repository of President Barack Obama’s historical archives.

And there’s so much more. A winter garden and community meeting spaces. Athletic and outdoor spaces. A full-size basketball court and large parklands. A Wetland Walk and Women’s Garden. Designated public meeting spaces, boardrooms and large celebration halls. A 19-acre park where visitors may picnic and play.

The designers even developed a hill where folks can sled in the winter — a thrill Michelle Obama wasn’t able to experience as a child in geographically flat Chicago. Now, she can. Yes, she can.

The center’s day-long, televised grand opening was a joyous, energized occasion witnessed by millions. Top-tier artists like Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Common, Bruce Springsteen, Eddy Vedder, Bono and The Edge, Christina Aguileraand many others performed brilliantly and with purpose.

Jennifer Hudson delivered our National Anthem, Jesus. Then, her rendition of “The Impossible Dream” collapsed millions into a puddle of tears and hope. 

There was nary a Milli nor a Vanilli as far as the eye could see.

One of the most striking elements of the center is a stylized, multi-story, exterior inlay of text delivered by President Obama in a 2015 speech: “You are America. Unconstrained by habit and convention. Unencumbered by what is, ready to seize what ought to be. For everywhere in this country, there are first steps to be taken, there is new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed. America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We the People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes, we can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.”

These words ring especially true as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Montrose Star. Publishing an LGBTQ+ paper in 1976 — a free one, at that — was a brave and dangerous thing to do. Thank you, Henry McClurg.

Fifty years later, thanks to the internet, publishing an LGBTQ+ paper is even braver and more dangerous. Fifty years later, savage little bullies still come for us to silence us with their lies and their fists.

Thank you, publisher Laura Villagran. Thank you for recognizing “There is new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed.”

Related Posts

About author

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Do not miss