Silence = Acceptance
Our voices must be heard lest our silence give consent.
I can no longer remain silent to the sad & violent history of this country; built on the broken backs of slaves, the genocide of a native people, and the fear-mongering of immigrants who would still rather face American bigotry over the persecution of their own country.
I can no longer remain silent in a country that was built on a foundation of the Separation of Church and State but where we must still swear to tell the truth on a religious text.
I can no longer remain silent in a nation where the faces of slave-owning founding fathers are plastered onto the currency, a constant reminder to Women, POC, Natives, LGBTQ, and Immigrants that to achieve greatness in this country you should aspire to be other than as you are.
I can no longer remain silent in the face of Fascist rhetoric from a man preying upon the fears of the people.
I can no longer remain silent because silence is equal to acceptance.
I can no longer remain silent because I still believe in this country.
Working for a large entertainment company here in New York offers me a unique perspective on the city. I receive hundreds of calls and emails a week from people all over the world asking for advice on how best to visit this great city. I spend call after call empathizing with people I’ll never meet. People I’ll never have more than a fleeting conversation with as I steer them towards entertainment. Advise them on the correct transportation, accommodations, and whatever else they may ask. I am an ambassador for New York and to many, an ambassador to the U.S. If you had to ask me what my company sells I have a very simple response. We sell fun. We don’t solve your problems. We don’t stitch you up. We don’t refinance your mortgage. We provide a concierge service to folks interested in buying a ticket to something that allows them to shut out the world for two & a half hours, with one fifteen minute intermission.
This week I received an email that made my heart catch in my throat.
“Hello, I am a Muslim and wear a hijab. Is it okay for me to come to the shows there? Will I be admitted into the theaters, is that okay?”
Shock was quickly replaced by anger. Anger gave way to sadness and sadness created action. This person was asking permission to be herself. Asking an entertainment company if it is “okay” (see safe) to come as she is to New York, the pride of America. She reached out to strangers because she was afraid, or unwilling, or unable to simply believe with confidence she’d be accepted and allowed into a city that is for all.
And New York is for all. “One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.” ~Tom Wolfe
There’s a majestic strength to this country typified throughout the boroughs of New York. In the Badlands. Throughout the Great Lakes. Up and down the Pacific Coast Trail. And yes, even in the back woods of the Carolinas and the bitter winters of New England. Our strength, this nation’s true strength, comes from the contents of our melting pot society, not in spite of it.
So when a visitor asks “Hello, I am a Muslim and wear a hijab. Is it okay for me to come to the shows there? Will I be admitted into the theaters, is that okay?” I refuse to believe that America’s answer will be anything but a resounding “Yes.”
America has no need of a savior. America needs its citizens. Its helpers.
Please make sure you’re registered to vote. Local. National. All of it.
“Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience.
Vote, not out of fear, but out of love.
Love for those without a voice.
Love for those that have their voices silenced.
Love for those that you would call family.
Love for those that call America home.
Love for those visitors that want to know America as you do.
Please join me in no longer remaining silent.
