Hello Fellow Justice Seekers!

Allow me to introduce myself. I participated in the 2007 Soulforce Q Equality Ride on the west bus and then the Right to Marry Campaign in New York State. I recently came on board with Soulforce to work on the website. Over the next weeks and months, you’ll notice changes as we enliven our site and find even more ways to spread the vision and movement of Soulforce.

One of the first orders of business is to restart our blog. If you’ve been following the work of Soulforce for awhile now, you may have read updates from the 2007 Equality Ride or the Right to Marry Campaign here. Starting today, we’ll bring you updates from the 2010 Equality Ride and soon we will add other types of notes and reflections (more on that later).

Be sure to check back here regularly to get news from the front lines of our movement for justice. Also, an easy way to keep up to date with us is to subscribe to this blog in an RSS/feed reader.

PS. If you want to check out entries from my time on the Equality Ride and Right to Marry Campaign (including some videos), you can do so here.

Fellow Northern Router Matt Comer captured this compelling testimony and posted it online. Many, many props go out to him and to a heartfelt thank-you to Milfred, who we had the pleasure of staying with in Utica, NY.

The New York Right to Marry campaign is coming to a close. The Northern Route said goodbye to Utica, New York this morning and arrived in New York City not too long ago. Tomorrow brings a day of tying up lose ends, following up with the folks we met along the way, debriefing our experiences, and planning for the future. I’m excited to meet up with the 24 other young adults if only for a day.

As my van traveled through the North Country, we documented our progress and the stories of some of those we met along the way. Some of the Right to Marry participants already shared their thoughts on why marriage is important (here and here) and soon we’ll have the stories of New York citizens and couples to share with you too.

For now, here’s a look at our time up north:

Another round of interviews with Right to Marry participants talking about why they would like to see marriage equality in New York. Fellow rider Matt Hill Comer and I have been working on a video to document our travels in the North Country which will be coming soon.

Sunday morning began as many Sundays do, in a church. Our Canton hosts graciously took us to their local United Methodist church. After our daily ritual of Dunkin Donuts coffee, we went back to Dan’s to prepare for the afternoon pot luck. Local supporters came out to hear our stories, ask questions, and find their own ways to get involved. A PFLAG mom shared her concerns of whether her daughter’s union will be legally recognized. All of the residents seemed very energized by the Walk A Mile In My Shoes idea and I’m confident Senate Majority Leader Bruno can be expecting a few more pairs!

As we travel across the state, one thing continues to strike me: normalcy. As I walk into each new house that we stay in, I feel as if I’m walking into my own family’s home. Framed pictures line the walls, children’s artwork hangs on the refrigerator. I wonder what the marriage equality opponents would say while standing in these homes. Would they see the destruction of the institution of marriage or the enrichment of it? I have to imagine it would be the latter.

I am constantly inspired by the men and women of New York that I met along the way and grateful for the excellent model of commitment and marriage which they have modeled for me, even in the absence of legal recognition.