Friday, all donned in our official Soulforce garb, the twenty-four of us, plus past riders who served as volunteers, headed out to Valley Forge Christian College (VFCC) to send love and affirmation to the students hidden in the closet at the school. With the campus closed, the stop planner for the ride, the fabulous Jess Kalup, decided to spread our love forth by singing songs and holding a vigil around the campus. Unfortunately, a group protesting with misinformation chose to come with signs and a bullhorn to try to drown out our message of love toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans people and their allies. The key word in the previous sentence: try. Our group, brimming with community members and volunteers, thrived in our campaign for justice.

Throughout the day, our adversaries finally engaged several conservations with riders and community members alike. I hope that we personally touched them with dialogue and that they can change their message of hatred into one of hope. The next day, unfortunately, I was plagued with sickness, but the other riders spent the day in the great city of Philadelphia, cleaning up the sidewalks and even received a citation from the city of the Philadelphia. And trust me, it looks pretty. Feeling better, I rejoined my fellow riders as we visited the National Constitution Center and learned more about America’s national history.

After visiting the historical museum, we headed out to The William Way Community Center where we were greeted by a large amount of community members to host a potluck that former ’06 rider, Tommy Atz, organized for us. There we made new friends, re-established old relationships, and just generally had a groovy time. I met some amazing people and cannot wait until our next stop at Houghton, NY.
I just want to take the time to give thanks for all the supporters who came out and all those who donated. You are all we ace.

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