Last weekend a couple of college graduates hosted a peaceful protest and gathering in front of the Spokane County Courthouse. Their mission was to spread peace and a message of unity against hate and bigotry. I consider myself politically involved and a political activist, but I haven’t done much since 2007. Now that I’ve had a little more flexibility in my schedule, I’ve been a bit more vocal (especially when so much is at stake here). I really wanted to attend this rally but with two little kids it was hard. I ended up dropping them off at home (with daddy) and racing to the rally only to be late. But it was still worth it just to see how much influence there was and how many people were eager to gather. I don’t take for granted our freedoms here, such as the freedom to speak our minds in public and I enjoy being around the energy and awesomeness of that freedom.
The hostesses, Devon Renee McKinney and Kelsi Wellens, chose to use this time to also fundraise for important charities in the area that may also be negatively impacted since the recent elections. They raised over $1,200 for local groups including Planned Parenthood and Odyssey Youth. I was very encouraged and inspired by the number of people who came to support each other. I took a few photos but not many. However, some of my favorite images are of complete strangers chatting with each other in civil and positive ways, especially the police force who took time to engage with the protestors.
