OUT ON THE HILL is the official blog of the Victory Congressional Interns. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Learn more about the internship at victoryinstitute.org/vci.
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My name is “Willow,” like the tree that bends to the wind, yet never breaks. I chose this name as a promise to myself to be uncompromising, resilient, and grounded within my values in the face of harsh winds. In this same spirit, I chose to work in DC at this specific moment in time because now, more than ever, existing in a place I am not supposed to be is a necessary component of my resistance.
I am not the only one who has creatively found ways to resist. I hear resistance in every voicemail, email, and call that I tally and batch. I see resistance in the flickering flames of my fellow interns, Luke & Anika’s, joint birthday candles. I feel resistance in my footsteps with others collectively thundering the streets during World Pride. Within the vertical marking of a pen, the snuff of a candle, and the weary ache in our bones is the hope for something more than this.
Although the days are draining and it’s easy to forget what my actions speak to, I gently remind myself why I am here and what I walk away with. Being forced to embrace the unknown a new day brings, I found people I could rely on at the desks surrounding mine. Every time I return home to ‘hello’s’ and warm welcomes, I am filled with gratitude to call this space and the people I live with my “home.” I’ve learned that just as saplings need sunlight to guide its direction of growth, the people closest to me are my rejuvenating rays that guide me to where I need to go.
In a time when the hard-fought culmination of movement building and organizing is being so easily stripped like the bark of a tree, expand your roots. Be resilient, regrow, and remember the future you and I both hope for. For every inch I bend, yet do not break, the several splinters which surface – no matter how small or oddly shaped – still find their way underneath rough skin.
