Sometimes it’s hard to see protest for the act of love that it is. We don’t stand up – or kneel – to protest in a country we don’t love or care about. Nonviolent protest is an act of faith and hope. The very act of protest implies not only hope, but confidence that we live in a powerful nation capable of improvement.

We all seek to call attention to ways we can stop unnecessary suffering. Protest is part aspiration, part conversation. We want a fairer world. And we will always be working toward this unachievable ideal.