Our Ghostlight-March Through the Darkness

It's been a very long two weeks.

To start, the day before the inauguration there was a national event that took theatre and the arts fully into the activist world:

On January 19, 2017, EXACTLY at 5:30 p.m. in each time zone across the country, members of the theater community - from Broadway to regional theaters to high schools and colleges and community theaters - came together to launch The Ghostlight Project. Gathering outside of theaters on the eve of the Presidential Inauguration, people joined in a collective, simultaneous action, together creating “light” for challenging times ahead. Inspired by the tradition of leaving a "ghost light" on in a darkened theater, artists and communities made or renewed a pledge to stand for and protect the values of inclusion, participation, and compassion for everyone--regardless of race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, (dis)ability,  age, gender identity, or sexual orientation.  

This was an inspiring moment of gathering within a larger resistance to intolerance at all levels. ReVamp Collective vowed to fight for equality, and this was just another step in fighting for social justice and equity. 

Then the day after the inauguration another monumental event occurred that ReVamp Collective was proud to take part in: 

The Women's March on Washington.

On Saturday, January 21st, millions of people around the world came together to raise our voices. On every continent people of all genders, sexual identities, races, religions and political beliefs came together to fight for women's rights, civil rights, LQBTQIA rights, immigration rights, proper education, and many other issues currently under attack by the current administration. We were represented in both Washington D.C. and Cincinnati, Ohio. And what a sensational experience it was for all. Listening to powerful messages by some of the top movers and shakers of this century, seeing families march together, watching people of all backgrounds find similarity in their fight for humanity - it fills you with something that has been missing lately: hope.

However, both of these events were not just a day - they were both the start of a movement. Using our voices to speak up on issues that matter to us, opening our arms to those who have been pushed aside and fighting to make a better world.

-- Erin Carr