There is an analogy that all issues are like icebergs.  If you can picture an iceberg you know that only the very tip of an iceberg is visible, but  90% of its mass lies below the surface.  If we apply this to social issues, we can say that the tips of the iceberg are the events, sometimes the simple minutia of surviving day to day life as an exception, rather than the norm.  Moving downward along the iceberg we begin to see patterns begin to emerge just below the surface, we are not alone, there are others living similar experiences. These patterns are strengthened by the systemic structure, which is enforced by a mental model, people’s view of the world.

Small changes can resonate, person to person, group to group, success by success, law by law. I know I can affect change one person at a time.  As others, including leaders like you, are simultaneously doing the same the patterns of barriers, inequality and injustice will emerge into a clear picture that the world won’t be able to ignore. This picture will drive systemic change, systemic change will eventually result in a change in hearts and minds.  The old saying goes that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.  As I go on this journey, sometimes I’ll go alone, sometimes I’ll lead others, sometimes you will.  Sometimes, like today, we’ll walk to together, sometimes we’ll carry others, or be carried. Each and every step adds to the journey that all of us take together, and that 1000 miles then becomes real and tangible.

We cannot let our momentum stop or our hard-won progress be reversed.  We are here, and we’re not going away, we won’t be silenced. We are as vital as every other member of our community. We fight for ourselves and others who’ve faced social injustice, whether it’s sex, ability, race, nationality, religion, or creed.  As President Obama has said, diversity makes us stronger, creative, different.