Taking a Stand for Equality
Yesterday I mourned for humanity. I didn’t have the words to speak. I’m not sure I have the right words today, but I have to try. If you know me personally, you know that I have rarely been quiet in the face of injustice & inequality. There’s a number of reasons that I chose not to bring those feelings here to my business platform, but the main one is I wanted to keep this page sheltered from the pain and negativity in this world. I wanted to this to be my outlet for things I love, and that bring me happiness. It still is and will be, but I realized today that I am no longer willing to hide who I am behind a neutral business persona. This is who I am. You can accept me for that, or not. I will accept either of your choices, and any consequences that might bring my way.
I want you to know, the jewelry you have enjoyed and maybe even purchased from me has been made with stones and supplies that come from all over this world. Visiting and working for the Gem Show I met have people from every corner of the world, and I have bought from them, looked them in the eye, shook hands, laughed, and so on. The stones in your jewelry have traveled many miles and touched many hands before they landed in your hands. We are more connected then we realize. If you have purchased from me, know that you have helped me by giving me the means to give back, to donate, and to fight for human (and animal) rights. I am by no means a wealthy person, but I will continue to do so to the best of my ability, because I stand for the right of all humans: black, white, brown, religious, atheist, gay, straight, bi, transgender. Our differences is what make us so amazing and beautiful. These are not faceless people to me, many are my friends, my family, and my neighbors. I stand for their rights, the right to live, be safe, and be happy.
If I can ask anything of you, I’d like to ask you to not lose your humanity. I ask you to keep listening to your fellow human. Many people are angry, scared, confused. If you’re not, I ask you to accept that others are, listen to them, try to understand and try to find some common ground. In all honesty, I am struggling to cope through all the pain happening right now as I listen to my friends and family try to make sense of everything. I feel a lot of anger, and I’m fighting to not let that consume who I am. This is the path I’ve taken for me because that’s the person I want to be. We may need to take different paths to try to heal from this and I accept that of you too.
There’s a million other things I want to say, but I think I’ll let my actions speak for me. I promise that I will work harder and do more for the future. As much as I’d like to pull the blankets over my head and ignore what’s happening out there, I won’t be doing that. I believe we have had a veil over our eyes for a long time, that veil has been dropped and we cannot deny the problems that are so clearly there. I will NOT accept or tolerate hatred, violence, injustice, sexism, racism, and so on for the people in this world. I promise you I will stand up and against this cruelty in our world. If you feel alone and victimized, I will stand next to you and in front of you if you need a shield. I promise I will talk less and listen more.
If you read this far, thank you. If you got this far and now think differently about me, I accept that. If by stating the above means I will lose your business or other opportunities, I also accept that. 2016 has been the best year for my business, it would hurt to see that end, but I will also accept that as a possible outcome. I have survived closing a business and other far worse things before, I will work hard to get through this too. I will keep hope alive that love, compassion, and acceptance will grow and somehow heal these wounds. I encourage you to do whatever you can to help humanity survive.