yesterday was the 132nd birthday of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Lady Liberty’s torch still burns bright, even as those in power who embrace fear and exclusion try as they might to extinguish her light. they fail to see that she stands proudly for hope and hope cannot be extinguished. it lives in the hearts of the oppressed and those who know better, who love, who align with life.

in honor of her and the hope she symbolizes, i’m reposting a piece of my art and the timeless Emma Lazarus poem.

~j

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

~

Emma Lazarus

#StatueOfLiberty #LadyLiberty #Hope #Light #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #FamiliesBelongTogether #NoBansNoWalls #MindfulResistance #SitDownRiseUp #JMWa