Tuesday, December 1, 2015

World AIDS Day

Reporter: Is the President concerned...?
Reagan's Press Secretary: I haven't heard him express concern.
On this World AIDS Day, it's worth remembering the mocking tone, the inadequate response, the homophobic callousness of the Reagan White House in the early 1980s.  One can say, Well, no one knew exactly what was going on.  And one can say, We were all taken by surprise.  But one cannot say, Those in power took this crisis seriously.  And one cannot say, The White House responded with thoughtful, compassionate, aggressive leadership.  

Leadership is a practice, a discipline.   And we prepare for it every day: in the way that we live, through the choices we make, by the orientation of our hearts.  Let's commit, today, to the kind of leadership that resists bigotry and cruelty, to the kind of leadership that insists on reflection and courage.  Let's commit to compassion.