Since the inauguration of Donald Trump, rallies have been held across the country and around the world supporting women’s rights, Planned Parenthood and immigrants.

State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth was met with cheers when she spoke at the women’s rally Jan. 21 at the Gateway Building. She said 33 states have Republican governors, and Republicans control the House and the Senate “but guess what, they still don’t control us.” She parodied Donald Trump’s charge that Hillary Clinton was a “nasty woman” and said it’s “nasty women” who will transform the nation.

On Jan. 21 outside the Peoria Gateway Building, a crowd of about 1,200 heard from Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, Dr. Rahmat Na’Allah and the Rev. Lynnda White among others.

Rev. White read this poem at the rally:

When They Say God

By Rev. Lynnda White

I am here today because I hope that we can come together, women, men, and all those who self-identify in other ways—that we can come together as people willing to work toward a future of equality, decency, unity, and inclusion–to be our best selves with the ability to stay in the room with difference, not use our religions, or however we identify our faith and morality, as the reasons we discriminate against, fail to protect, belittle, and force our beliefs on others.

My fear is that we will remain in the land of Us and Them, because right now when…

They say ‘God’; some say ‘No’
They say ‘Goddess’; some say ‘Woe’
They say ‘Jesus’; some say ‘Oh’
They say ‘Allah’; some say ‘Foe’
They say ‘Christian’; some say ‘So’
They say ‘Jew’; some say ‘Go’
They say ‘Evolution’; some say ‘Slow’
They say ‘Atheist;’ some say ‘Low’

That is the language of ‘Other.’ Let us not remain ‘Us and Them.’ As people of faith and of concern, may we move toward the mountaintop, stay in the conversation, and know that our good intentions are not enough, our empathy is not enough, our righteousness is not enough.

My hope is that we unite in the Here and Now where…

When We say ‘Justice’; All know ‘Right’
When We say ‘Inclusion’; All know ‘Light’

When We say ‘Refuge’; All know ‘Home’
When We say ‘Unity’; All Know ‘Come’

When We say ‘Environment; All know ‘Earth’
When We say ‘Dignity’; All know ‘Worth’

When We say ‘Diversity’; All know ‘Yes’
When We say ‘Love’; All know ‘Bless’

My hope is that we all are blessed as we face a challenging future–that we people of different faiths and beliefs learn to build coalitions of difference and good will as they have in North Carolina’s Moral Mondays movement with Rev. Richard Barber; alliances of Earth stewardship as they have at Standing Rock; and solidarity as, all over the world, millions cry out ‘No’ against racism, misogyny, ableism, ageism, brutality, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, transphobia, anti-GLBTQ, anti-science. We are anti- those things which prevent us all from having life, liberty, security, and happiness.

This is the moment. You are the moment.

Oh, Spirit of Life, may it be so