christian grantham
Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD.
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January 06, 2005

Cheryl Jacques breaks the silence with her own website, and it is becoming clear that "management philosophies" weren't the real reason for her departure from the Human Rights Campaign. Jacques faced the same circled wagons I faced in 1998 when presenting the challenge of spending a little money educating the electorate.

While many committed leaders are continuing the long march toward full equality, including equal marriage rights, others are arguing that we have gone too far, too fast, and that we should wait for society to catch up.

The lessons of history are clear - equality cannot wait for a convenient time, society only moves toward equality when challenged to do so. Change does not come through cautious inaction, but through principled insistence. A backlash isn't a reaction, it is the surfacing of long-standing resentments and misunderstandings that can only be addressed if brought out into the open. And the most important lesson is this - civil rights battles are never easy, and they are never short, but throughout our nation's history, these battles have resulted in the expansion of equality to people who had previously been denied equal treatment under the law.

So the question is -- what do those who seek justice do today, tomorrow, for the next 6 months and the next 60 months to advance the cause of equality. First - we must recognize what election day taught us - that there is an enormous conversation, and an enormous education campaign that still must take place in this country. The more that American voters learn about the aspirations we hold for ourselves and our families, the more they will realize that those aspirations are the same as theirs.
[At a Crossroads - CherylJacques.org - 01-06-05]