February: Love One Another

>>Love one another. It’s a Biblical commandment that’s provided the context for many of our moralities, but it’s not a doctrine that’s easy to live by these days. The political environment is dividing families, parting friends, and even making interactions with complete strangers tense if a political claim is apparent from a bumper sticker or t-shirt.

Yet love is growing. We see it in the thousands who dropped everything over the weekend to support those caught in the limbo created from the President’s abrupt executive order on immigration. We see it in the community groups that are forming to organize ways to support disenfranchised groups. While there is no shortage of anger and passion, love abounds around us in active civic engagement – the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Vietnam era.

This month, the team at Women AdvaNCe is focusing on this theme – Love One Another. How do we show love for our neighbor, our partner, our children and ourselves? We’ll look at ways to find strength in each other and move forward as more whole individuals and communities, rich with passion and purpose.

We’ll also be taking looks at equality and diversity this month. Today holds a place of importance in the state of North Carolina and the world. Four students from North Carolina A &T State University sat down at the segregated lunch counter inside Woolworth’s in Greensboro, NC. While not a national holiday it is certainly a day to be celebrated /observed by all those who are committed to human rights. What followed was scores of sit-in protests across the South that eventually resulted in legislation that desegregated public accommodations throughout the South.

Lastly, but not least by any stretch, February is one of the moments when we collectively take a deeper look at the impact, accomplishments and stories of African Americans. In 1926 >>Carter G. Woodson , proposed a week long observance of African – American history and culture. Fifty years later, the week became a month. North Carolina is fortunate to have such a tremendous documented legacy of African- American history and we will remind us all of some of >>those accomplishments .

So join us as we navigate this year, this life, and the policies of our new state and federal leadership.