Monday, November 8, 2010

Take the Pledge


In the 1960s, Dion Diamond worked tirelessly for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).  He was a student activist and field secretary in Maryland, Mississippi, Virginia and Alabama. What some may not know is that his noble efforts did not earn him the special honors and acknowledgements that he deserved, but instead, he was jailed on several occasions for working on behalf of the SNCC and the civil rights movement. 

If Diamond and other students could persist through these unfavorable consequences to make our society better, can we not at least take a pledge? Take the pledge to spread the hope of IT GETS BETTER for LGBT teens.

Today Diamond is self-employed working as a financial advisor.

Provide hope for bullied teens by taking the pledge as thousands of others already have.


As part of the It Gets Better Project, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison from Dixie Chicks and Court Yard Hounds, share their message with LGBT youth who are struggling with being bullied. Emily and Martie are advocates of staying true to yourself and sticking to what you believe in. They encourage you to remember it does get better.

As part of the It Gets Better Project, President Obama shares his message of hope and support for LGBT youth who are struggling with being bullied.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

"It Gets Better" Project

"IT GETS BETTER,"A grassroots project for helping LGBT teens
Twenty seven years ago on November 3, President Ronald Regan signed a bill that made the third Monday in January a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  His contributions to the civil rights movement are legendary and have inspired the opening of new battlefronts concerning gender equality, immigration, gentrificaton and housing and as of late, rights for the LGBT community. 

The most recent reports on hate crimes against gay teens in the Bronx resemble the bullying, taunting, and physical abuse that characterized the civil rights era of the 1960s.  During the sixties, students listened to the teachings of Dr. King and Ghandi, organized themselves from the bottom up, and as Congressman John Lewsis (D-GA) says, essentially "became soldiers in a non-violent campaign" against social injustice. 

Like thousands of young people who joined the fight at this time, teenagers today can also be a part of a great movement, but this time on behalf of the LGBT community. This issue has the potential to become a sort of modern-day civil rights movement if individuals and communities take up the cause.  For more details about "It Gets Better," the grassroots project for helping LGBT teens, visit the organization's website to take the pledge against hate and intolerance.