VIDEO: Our Love is Changing the World
Dan Furmansky is Campaign Manager of the Standing on the Side of Love Campaign.
The message below went out to Standing on the Side of Love supporters on February 14, 2011. Sign-up for these emails here.
I am, quite simply, blown away. Millions of people have already heard about our efforts to re-imagine Valentine’s Day as a holiday of love and acceptance of all people. More than 50 media outlets published a story this weekend about National Standing on the Side of Love Day, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, FoxNews.com, Forbes, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, to name just a few. The article said: “Unitarian Universalist churches across the country will be holding events on Sunday and Monday promoting civil political discourse, gay rights, humane immigration reform and ending what it calls the demonization of American Muslims as part of ‘National Standing on the Side of Love Day.’”
This weekend I was warmly welcomed to Knoxville, where I presented Courageous Love Awards on behalf of the Standing on the Side of Love Campaign to Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church and Westside Unitarian Universalist Church for their inspiring resilience, and their long-standing efforts to bring love forth in their community. The justice-and-love-themed worship services were electrifying. An interfaith forum –”Spiritual Approaches to Polarized Politics” — boasted an impressive array of local denominations and a fantastic spirit of community solidarity. The day was capped off with the presentation of a check for more than $11,000 to an organization providing services to homeless families that has found itself in financial peril.
Watch the Love Award ceremony and see how we celebrated Courageous Love in Knoxville for National Standing on the Side of Love Day:
The local NBC affiliate captured the spirit of the events in Knoxville well:
A National Campaign created in response to a violent act in Knoxville,” WBIR reported, “is encouraging people to show more respect and tolerance for everyone on a weekend centered around love. The community’s response was so powerful in its message of overcoming hatred with love, that it inspired the denomination’s leadership to organize “National Standing on the Side of Love Day. Unitarian Universalist Churches across the country including TVUUC, held events promoting love and tolerance on Sunday. The events are aimed at promoting civil political discourse among people of all backgrounds and faiths and encouraging Americans to re-adopt a “We the People” attitude not an “Us vs. Them” mind set.
As the pictures and stories from Sunday’s events roll in, I can feel the energy in our movement building with each successive story.
And today, Feb. 14th, our efforts continue. Can you feel it? Our movement for love, justice, and inclusion is already changing the world!
Love,
Share your story of courageous love today.
Dan Furmansky
Campaign Manager
Standing on the Side of Love
P.S. On this special day, please share with us stories of courageous love in your life and your community.
