We just produced this new video about Los Angeles day of activities on Oct. 2, 2010.

Please tell us what you think in the comments section.

Here’s a video slideshow of the action at the Los Angeles One Nation Working Together Day of Activities:

Also, check out Actor / Activist Danny Glover speaking at the One Nation event

Check out his video we shot during our cross-country trip in the Blog Mobile.

It’s made up of clips of Americans of all stripes reading from an edited version of the One Nation Working Together mission statement.

I love America! It is the most exciting, culturally diverse, and dynamic country in the world! I feel SO grateful to be here, to call this country my home! Yay, America!

America, I have a question for you. Where is your heart?

My fellow One Nation Blogger, Michael Oshima, posted a piece this morning titled, “Inequality is Gay.”
http://www.onenationca.org/2010/10/inequality-is-gay/#comments

I could not agree more and this is my response:

Taken in Oklahoma City on our way to Memphis, TN. Oklahoma is leading America to energy independence with their bustling green sector economy being fueled by natural gas and wind power.

America was founded on a set of brilliant ideals that were subverted from the very beginning, and I believe that this subversion set a troubling tone for the evolution of this country. It had little heart.

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Unfortunately, in the hearts and minds of our Founding Fathers that gorgeous sentiment only applied to a very small group of people; land owning white males, not to poor or indentured white men, women or Native Americans, and certainly not to Africans brought to America. Instantly an array of second class citizens were created who were then forced to fight for their freedom, justice and equality… in perpetuity?

Each new wave of immigrants has faced the same challenge. This fight that we are all in right now isn’t just about race, gender equality, economics, education, equal opportunity, freedom of religion, or sexual preference. The fight for the American Dream has become the fight for the heart and soul of America. These days, far more Americans are wondering not only where their jobs, their homes and their dignity went, but more importantly, how this is happening right here in America; the land of the free, the home of the brave. Many are angry and are starting to feel like second-class citizens. They are looking for someone to blame, and unfortunately, many are taking their frustrations out on those who are often seen as second class citizens anyway.

Until every single American has access to a great education, is treated with dignity and respect, and has equal access to a good job that pays a living wage, America may just be a grand social experiment, spawned by a dream of freedom, that is on its way to failure. It is clearly benefiting the few without regard to the many. So, how could it possibly fulfill its promise of greatness or extend greatness as a real possibility to all of its citizens when it refuses to treat its citizens as equals?

America, can we honor the extraordinary vision that our Founding Fathers had, but open our hearts far more than they did to include EVERY American on a NEW path to freedom, justice, equality and prosperity? Can we put aside our differences and come together as a truly UNITED front to rebuild this beautiful nation with incredible promise? Can we make absolutely untenable the School to Prisons Pipeline, 14-15,000 homeless children in New Mexico a year, and the blockage of The Dream Act?

We can, but only if we come together to make each other our highest priorities, and only if we have the heart.

**If you resonated with what you just read, or you gained any insight from it, please do share it. There are links at the bottom as well as on the side of the page. I’d love to get the word out far and wide about raising our consciousness as a nation and about opening our hearts more. Thank you very much, and thanks for visiting the site. Cruise around a bit. There are a lot of great blogs in here and opportunities to get into action. **

A still from the video we shot during our cross-country trip in the Blog Mobile. It’s made up of clips of Americans of all stripes reading from an edited version of the One Nation Working Together mission statement.

We Are One Nation Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWn0zF2XUnM

Be warned that slurs will show up in this article, so the easily offended are invited to turn away now.

Inequality is gay; inequality is lesbian; inequality is Latino; inequality is immigrant; inequality is rich;  inequality is poor; inequality is white; inequality is still black.

I toured the National Civil Rights Museum last week. The Museum is housed in the converted Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968. It is, quite simply, overwhelming. Gathered in this place are fragments of a story born of so much misunderstanding, prejudice, hatred, violence, disrespect, and fear, yet it is at the same time the greatest collection of hope, kindness, understanding, respect and acceptance that has ever been assembled.

I can only describe the feeling of walking through the exhibits as having one’s head forced into a bucket of cold water – your eyes widen the same way, you suddenly lose all air in your lungs. I passed posters and pamphlets detailing the legal, moral, and social justifications for the subjugation and inequality of a group of human beings. I watched interviews of white Americans of all ages and backgrounds justifying the oppression of that same group of human beings. A visceral moral panic numbed my body and wracked my mind, but I looked around, realized where I was and thought how far we’ve come in today’s modern, post-racial, black-president America.

But then I started playing a little word game in my head: I replaced every instance of the word “nigger” I saw with “faggot”. I replaced “Negro” with “illegal”. “Coon” with “homo”.   And how far have we come?

Some more questions: Is there an element of racism in the blocking of the Dream Act and general handling of the undocumented immigrant issue? Does the city of Memphis find its educational system and government split among racial lines?  Is help slower to Navajo and Hispanic homeless in New Mexico?  Are gay and lesbian couples being denied the basic rights that we assign to all human beings in the United States of America?

Destroy, let go, and forget your idea of what an American is – that old definition does not exist any more. Every problem we encountered on our drive was a human problem or issue. Every triumph and every solution we encountered was a human triumph.  Not black, white, gay, straight, rich, poor, old, young — just human, really.

It has gotten a lot harder for me to go on with the pretend game we play in the United States called “liberty and justice for all”.

We are One Nation, let’s start acting like one. If not for ourselves than for the memory of a great man who once told us: “I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”

We are so close and so far.

I just heard from, German A. Cadenas, one of the students participating in the sit in outside of Senator John McCain’s offices in Phoenix in support of the Dream Act.

A blog chronicling the journey of the Dream Army is now live. It features several posts written by its members, who are sharing their personal stories, as well as videos of the Dreamers performing military drills under the direction of Michael Nazario.

Please do visit the blog and share it with your community. The Dreamers could use your encouragement.

For more insight into the Dream Army movement and some of it’s members, I invite you to read some of the articles written by the One Nation Bloggers who were in Phoenix visiting the Dream Army last week. You can find the stories here. http://www.onenationca.org/category/blog-mobile/page/3/

The Dream Army Blog – http://hubpages.com/profile/DREAM+Army+2010

**If you resonated with what you just read, or you gained any insight from it, please do share it. There are links at the bottom as well as on the side of the page. I’d love to get the word out far and wide about raising our consciousness as a nation and about opening our hearts more. Thank you very much, and thanks for visiting the site. Cruise around a bit. There are a lot of great blogs in here and opportunities to get into action. **

The Dream Army has been assembled for more than 2 weeks outside of Senator John McCain's offices in Phoenix, Az. These are college kids who hope to persuade the Senator to support the Dream Act as he once did. The legislation would create a conditional path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S as children and have been living in the U.S for at least 15 years.

Check out all the pictures from the One Nation Working Together “Blog Mobile” trip…

Check out this video snippet of actor/activist Danny Glover addressing the crowd on the Oct. 2nd Los Angeles event:

This is my latest comment on CNN’s online coverage of the One Nation Working Together march on Washington yesterday. There are some who decry the march because of union involvement.

“Until every corporation and business owner starts to view their employees as their greatest asset and starts treating them as such, unions must exist to protect workers’ rights. If the bottom line remains #1, and workers are not invited to have an invested financial interest in the company beyond a paycheck, then workers have no choice but to band together to ensure that they are treated with dignity, respect, are fairly compensated for their labor and time, and that their well-being is being protected.

Yes, at times, some unions are overly intrusive, political, and hamper worker/employer relations in the free market workplace, but there will be less of a need for unions in America when the status of the common, every day worker is elevated.

Finally, that’s when we will no longer have a NEED for unions.

Are you a business owner who’s up to the task? Are you the head of a corporation that is leading this charge by making your employees your #1 asset and by welcoming them to be financially invested in your company? Then let’s hear from you.”

To the business owners, the heads of corporations and board of directors who are already operating in this way, I applaud you.

**If you resonated with what you just read, or you gained any insight from it, please do share it. There are links at the bottom as well as on the side of the page. I’d love to get the word out far and wide about raising our consciousness as a nation and about opening our hearts more. Thank you very much, and thanks for visiting the site. Cruise around a bit. There are a lot of great blogs in here and opportunities to get into action. **

The picture that CNN posted to their online report was taken at around noon, at the beginning of the march, and does not represent the rally at full swing. http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/10/02/one.nation.rally/index.html?iref=allsearch

This photo was taken by Blair Golson, Tour Director of the One Nation Blog Mobile at the peak of the rally. The mall was full and enjoyed 200,000+ attendees or more. The crowd was wonderfully DIVERSE and the energy was off the hook.

Kela of the One Nation Blog Mobile

Event was part of Massive One Nation Working Together March in Washington, DC and was largest One Nation event outside of the Capitol

“Day of Action” meant to re-energize, re-engage and inspire 500,000 Californians to go to the polls in November and fight for the change most Americans voted for in 2008

Los Angeles (October 2, 2010)– Today, thousands of Californians gathered in Los Angeles for a “Day of Action” meant to re-energize and inspire 500,000 Californians to go the polls in November, and in 2012, to fight for the change most Americans voted for in 2008. As Californians gathered, an estimated 175,000 people marched on Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial and more still at regional events around the country. The event in Los Angeles was the largest event held outside of Washington, D.C.

The event also focused on voter outreach with activists canvassing areas neighborhoods and participating in a phone bank.

“We are here today to fight for good jobs for everyone, a secure home, justice for all people and quality education for our children,” said Laphonza Butler, President of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers (ULTCW). “It is a day to elevate the concerns of the average person who goes to work every day and who simply wants to live the American dream.”

Speakers included local activists and One Nation partners, including leaders from the NAACP, the immigration rights movement, the LGBT community, labor and more. Actors Danny Glover, Anne-Marie Johnson, Mike Farrell, and Valerie Harper, and entertainers Jennifer Johns and Tom Morello, the Nightwatchman, also participated. Artist Derek Gores, whose work has been shown in various California galleries, also created a public interactive display that symbolized unity through its design as a collage of photos.

“Through this day of action, we are sending a clear message that we must unite our country and stop the polarizing tactics that use issues like immigration to divide us,” said Angelica Salas, Executive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).

There were also personal stories from many Americans who talked about the impact of the economy, immigration and other national issues have had on their lives and their families.

“Something is happening here. People of all backgrounds, identities, heritages and hometowns are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work to help refocus our nation’s priorities on more jobs, good jobs and secure jobs,” said Mr. Glover. “We are committed to putting America back to work and pulling America back together. We are going to continue to fight for the change we voted for in 2008.”

One Nation Working Together is a fast-growing grassroots movement of people from all backgrounds united by the goal of reordering our nation’s priorities to invest in our most valuable resource – our people. The movement is comprised of over 400 organizations and tens of thousands of individuals who believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the American Dream of having a secure job, a safe home and a quality education.

Contact: Kerry Townsend Jacob 310-806-0893 or Scott Mann 323-333-4850