Training, Anticipation, and Cake

So, here it is, the first day on the road, and I almost want to say the hard part is over. We’ve been three-times chosen, we’ve braved 13-inch snowfall, leaving many of us stuck in airports and bus stations across the country. We’ve been trained by the best possible group of people, including the Reverend Phil Lawson, who was involved in the non-violent resistance movements of the 1960s and 70s. We’ve been strengthened in spirit and conviction by our communities. As Jess from the West Bus put it, “we’ve got this.”

I know it’s rather simplistic of me to say that the hard part is over, though. I know that we’ve got a difficult and draining two months on the road ahead of us. I know we’ll be exhausted and empowered, that there’ll be tears and laughter, but I feel prepared.

Training was intense. The most difficult part was the training on non-violent resistance, where we had to learn to respond to verbal violence, so that, should it happen on the ride, G-d forbid, we’ll be at least a little prepared.

I was chosen as the first person to be initiated into the training. Katie, in the middle of a discussion on training, just started screaming at me, hateful and destructive words. I can honestly say I have never had someone yell at me for who I am in my entire life, and my blood sugar immediately dropped. I didn’t know why she was yelling at me, and how could she?

Then we had to take turns verbally attacking one another, and responding to that attack. Why? Well, as Rev. Lawson says, “you don’t know how you’ll react until you’ve been attacked.” For the person attacking, it was gaining the knowledge of how much it hurts to be that angry. Many of us couldn’t remember the words we had had yelled at us, or the words we had yelled, but the pain we felt, on both sides, was intense. There were many tears and many hugs to follow.

And yesterday, our last night together, we ate Chinese food, just as the Freedom Riders did their last meal before they began their journey. There were hugs, there were photos, and we took turns drawing and verbalizing our strengths and our hopes for the ride. Many of us expressed our desire to give completely of ourselves, we gave our hearts, our souls, our strengths, and our weaknesses. We wished for compassion, love, and laughter, as well as healthy dialogue and the strength to continue to spread our message of love and acceptance, even to those who wish to make our voices silent.

Then this morning we said our tearful goodbyes, boarded our buses, and started our journey to Sioux Center, Iowa, where I currently sit after having just completed our first meal while being officially on the ride.

And let me tell you, it was a delicious and surprising first meal. The employees at this restaurant deserve a big shout-out for feeding us and being so friendly and welcoming!

I must thank that restaurant for bolstering our spirits; thank you for being so hospitable to the large group of strangers who came to you for food, and thank you so much for the cake, which we thought was particularly delicious, especially since it was from you. Y’all are the coolest bunch of people I’ve met in Iowa, to date.

And to Dordt College, our stop tomorrow, I wish to give you the words for tomorrow from a pamphlet I picked up here in our hotel, titled, Words of Hope: Daily Reflections:

Prayer: Lord, let me share you with another today!

I hope we have a productive day on campus and I can’t wait to start the dialogue, and meet our gracious hosts. Thank you so much, Dordt College, for allowing us on your campus.

This trip will be intense and amazing. The Equality Ride is finally here!

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