The dawn of an equal tomorrow (maybe)

Equality seems like a basic right, like something that all people are naturally born into. Something that makes our nation unique and outstanding, a qualifier for being "the number one country in the world". Yet for far too many people this is not the case. Sure, we get monumental breadcrumbs every decade or so, thanks to an uprising in public approval ratings, or politicians wanting to check off a demographic on a ballot in any given November. While others will argue in the back of the room that we have "gay marriage" or the "transgender bathrooms are appearing at big box stores", or that "blacks have their own scholarship programs". Is this equality? Should equality have so much anguish that comes with being a member of the minority in the United States? Should we truly be scared for our lives if we happen to see a Ford F150 coming down the road this that blue flag that says Trump 2020? No, my friends, this is not equality, this is not the land of the free. This is a land where the older generations that came from a time of suppress, hide, and deny are still the majority in the controlling bodies of our upper government. We are not truly Equal when hate crimes can be committed against us the minority and they are swept under the rug as vandalism or harassment. Until all localities in the United States recognize that we are not all White Heteronormative Christian Males and that we do come from different races, cultures, backgrounds, religions, identities, and orientations then we are not equal. You cannot silence generations and communities and then brag that you are number one. This is not how equality works and anyone that says otherwise would be sorely mistaken. We see people every day that work for equality from the local level to the national level, and far too often they are forgotten as "the silent heroes". These organizations need our help to make a brighter tomorrow full of true equality. It is time that we all rise together and ensure that tomorrow is full of equality. In 2020 we saw a surge in community-based organizations being called upon to do good works in their communities and many of these organizations rose to the occasion. Sadly, the need for the organizations to be present and provide services came with a steady decline in community giving. Staying true to the calling of community service, and outreach goals these organizations are the grassroots connection to the communities and without them, many of these communities will have no safe zones, or locations to be their true selves. According to a recent study, one in five hate crimes committed in the United States is motivated by a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender bias. These numbers must come down we cannot leave this world full of hate for the generations that will come after us. While PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and gays) report that hate crimes with an LGBTQIA+ bias are down to 18.6% from 20.8% and these numbers on the decline is a great sign, we still have much work to do. When you add in the .5% that is targeted towards people based on their gender identity (according to the FBI's Hate Crime statistics) that leave the total at 19.1% only coming down a mere 1.2%. This also factors in that nearly 48.5% is based on a racial bias and we are seeing an ever-growing trend in these organizations working together to solve hate crime targeting rather than focusing primarily on just LGBTQIA+ issues. This is in large part to the studies and statistics showing that if we work together on all issues of inequality, we are building a better future for all citizens of the United States and not just one specific community.

for more information or to help visit www.heartlandequality.org