Day two at Oklahoma Baptist University was not looking very different from day one. We arrived in Shawnee to the same silence and absence of students, faculty and administration on campus that we had seen our first day. The only difference was that we knew, without a doubt, that OBU did not plan to welcome us on campus at all, and that we would, in fact, be arrested without warning if we were to set foot on campus. The morning was chilly and quiet as we got off the bus, lined up and started singing “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around.” We began marching, once again, down University Avenue, the public street that runs through OBU’s campus. The beautiful sound of our voices echoed throughout the stillness of the campus. It was the sound of resolve. It was the sound of truth. There were still police and campus safety officers guarding the campus, not as closely, but still vigilant and wary of every step we made. We arrived back to the very same location we had started from the day before: in front of OBU’s chapel.

Being denied the right to enter the house of God yesterday to worship was heartbreaking, and we had a vigil at the very spot the five equality riders were arrested the previous day. We sang, read scriptures of love, compassion and inclusion, and were silent. Throughout the vigil, other riders had taken to sewing and cutting fabric. With needle and thread in hand, the plan was to make a tapestry that would include scriptures, phrases and quotations of love, compassion, peace and other themes that were representative of our mission and our visit to OBU. Members of the community, current and former OBU students and Equality Riders were all encouraged to contribute a different colored fabric with whatever words they wished to write on their pieces. At the end of our second day at OBU, six Equality Riders would attempt to present the tapestry to the Geiger Center, which is the main student center on campus.

As the sewing continued, we walked back up University Avenue to stand at another location to sing and remain silent, while OBU continued to ignore us. It was time to split up and talk with students, who filtered out of the campus to classes and dormitories, where we were all situated. We were able to speak with quite a few students, although most of them said they had no time to talk, as it was midterm week and right before spring break. Most of the conversations we had were brief, although some students had the opportunity to engage in discussions concerning our visit, homosexuality, OBU’s response, etc. Before we knew it, it was noon and time for lunch.

After a satisfying lunch, we returned to finish the tapestry and add any remaining pieces that needed to be sewn together. Finally, the time had come. Equality Riders and community members lined up in a row, each holding the name of a former student or alum of OBU who had come out after graduating, and we all started singing as six Equality Riders and two community members stepped over the short stone divide which separated us from the campus and carried the tapestry in hand toward the Geiger Center.

As soon as they stepped onto campus, campus safety and police began to slowly close in on them. The Equality Riders made it a little over halfway, when their efforts were squashed by policed, who arrested them for trespassing. Those who were arrested included: Stephen Krebs, Bronwen Tomb, Jarrett Lucas, Greg Johnson, Bram Wispelwey, and Casey Chandler-Alexander. The community members were allowed to leave campus with a warning.

We continued to sing and remain silent in their honor as they were put into a van and driven away by authorities. It was such a visually powerful moment and a true testament to the spirit of the Equality Ride and to our mission of social justice for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. Equally powerful was when, after the police had arrested the Riders, two OBU students picked up the tapestry we had sewn, and finished the walk to the student union.

We then walked to Lions Club Park, where we would meet with students from OBU and community members who wanted to talk. Right when we were about to board the bus, several students from OBU showed up to converse and get to know us. It was a wonderful hour of conversation, as they were very open to our visit and wanted to get to know us and ask questions about the ride. It was the “worth it” moment of the day, as many of the riders were frustrated by the administration’s response to us today and yesterday. We walked away from the conversation having made some friends and hoped that they would be the ones to be the allies on campus, who would love and affirm those who are closeted because of the policies of exclusion OBU supports. We all gave each other hugs, pamphlets, buttons and said our good-byes.

It was goodbye to OBU for this year and I truly believe that through the love, compassion, inclusion and hope we shared in our conversations, that we left our mark, a mark that will grow and blossom into a tree that bears the fruit of inclusion, love, acceptance and affirmation for all OBU students who seek to become more like Christ, each and every day.