One Year in New York City

It's been quite a...year.

On June 3, 2019, I moved to New York City. What a little bundle of hope and joy I was.

One year later, and look at all that has happened. That hope, however, has only grown.

I won't say I regret it, that I wish I weren't here. Not at all. Quite the opposite. What a privilege to be part of something so important. What a time to be in the epicenter of so much social change. What an honor to walk with so many powerful, angry, hurt, inspiring people. Also, the pizza is still some of the best in the world, but I digress.

The media paints this as one thing, but they're no strangers at getting it wrong...

I'm sure you've heard of the unrest over the death of George Floyd and other black Americans. Does it feel scary or intimidating attending these rallies? Hardly. The vast majority of protests are peaceful, though the media is obviously hungry for the more shocking images of looting.

Police barricades and protests are old hat for me. Paris trained me well. Marching for marriage equality and dealing with the fallout from November 2015 in Paris was good practice. Now we're stepping up to help those who have helped us before, notably during the fight for LGBTQ rights (ha, remember that Pride started with a riot!).

It's weird to think how this country is essentially just a patchwork of minorities who somehow have never truly unified in the face of some weird straight whit patriarchy. Now, however, it feels like we're getting it right. A domino has fallen and we're on our way.

Daily in Brooklyn...

So what's it like? We gather. We chant. We march. We make noise. We kneel. We listen. It's a daily occurrence. This is just in Brooklyn. The whole country, nay, the world, is doing the same thing.

But don't just ask what it's like. Get out there and see. If you're in New York City, follow this Instagram account for all of the essential updates on peaceful gatherings and marches. Protestors will be all over Brooklyn and the other boroughs, so there's no reason not to get involved. Momentum depends on mass, and the more of it we all have, the more change we'll eventually see.