This Fight is Our Fight; A Night with Elizabeth Warren

A quick note about this post: if you tend to steer more towards conservative views, this post is not intended to alienate you or change your views. I fully believe everyone has the right to their opinions & I respect that.  Don't worry though, recipes will resume tomorrow :)

"The only way democracy will work in America is if we all get engaged. You have to be in this fight every single day"

So, I follow a lot of lifestyle bloggers;  interior design bloggers & food bloggers, I love them all.  Most bloggers often share personal details about their family, their home or what they did over the weekend. Many also post about religious events;  outfits they wore to church or share recipes they made for religious occasions.  But, there is a general consensus when it comes to posting about politics: Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.  I understand why most lifestyle bloggers want to stay neutral; they don't want to alienate their readers. So it's OK to post about religion even though your readers might have different backgrounds, but not about politics.  Got it.  Listen, I totally get not wanting to alienate your readers since I've seen it happen. In fact, one blogger I follow lost over 10K followers on Instagram after posting a photo of herself attending the Women's March in January. TEN THOUSAND.   But I'm not like your typical lifestyle blogger (in more ways I'm actually quite different) & I don't think I should stay quiet or not share my views because it might not be what my readers want.  Well I want to be truthful & I want to be real about who I am & what I stand for. This past weekend, I attended something so special, I don't want to stay quiet about it.

"I see this as a moment when our character comes forward.  The character of our country is not the character of our president, but of our people"

For some of us, this Trump presidency has been pretty hard to stomach.  With Republicans changing decades long rules to accomplish their agendas, to a president who doesn't know when to shut up, it's been hard.  The positive side to this presidency? I've never felt more informed on cabinet positions & policies. But while executive orders are being passed & tweets are being fired, there have been a few champions in D.C. giving me reasons to believe our country isn't totally screwed.  One of them is Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Anxiously waiting in line for our gal

There has always been something so lovable about this passionate senator;  she's determined, she's honest & she seems like a relatable down to earth politician - words not usually used to describe a politician.  This past weekend, Senator Warren was in town promoting her new book, This Fight is Our Fight; The Battle to Save America's Middle Class & I was lucky enough to score tickets to her reading Saturday night.  The event was held at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale. I'd never been there before & as spacious as it was, it still felt quite intimate.  I went with two of my  feminist girlfriends, one of which marched with me at the Women's March just a few months ago.

"Pay attention. Not to what he tweets at 3am, but what he does"

Our tickets only cost $35 a piece & we were each given a signed copy of her book. How amazing is that?!

     

"Trump & his team have the chance to destroy the middle class & that is why I'm fighting back & why I'm in this fight"

The evening began with an introduction from Congressman Adam Schiff. Before Elizabeth (I'd like to think if I ever met her, she'd tell me to call her Elizabeth or Liz...does she even go by Liz? Maybe only to Bruce?) walked on stage, the room was buzzing with energy & anticipation. Then she came out, in her standard loose black pants, black shirt & brightly colored blazer.  Our seats were pretty high up, hence the quality pictures I'm sharing, but it didn't matter. As soon as Senator Warren opened her mouth, she owned the room.

"These are people who never expected to turn to the government for help, but they also never expected their government to turn on them"  

This Fight is Our Fight is a book of stories. Stories of the fight the middle class has endured & how the Trump administration has the potential to destroy the lives of so many hard working individuals & families.  Senator Warren shared with us the story of Michael, a young father who had lost his job & ultimately his house after being laid off.  Michael's credit was trashed & his family was forced to move into an apartment.  After finally being able to secure another job at the Nabisco factory, Michael was able to reverse his terrible credit score & buy his family another house.  Only he lost his new job because the Nabisco factory moved from Chicago to Mexico. Once again, Michael's livelihood is at risk.

"If you can read this book, thank a teacher"

An important theme to the evening was the need to create opportunity. Senator Warren discussed how she was given a huge opportunity when she was young & as a country, we need to be working to give our kids the very same & it begins with education. (More about this in the video clip below)

"I went to the inauguration. I wanted to see it with my own eyes. It is now burned onto my retinas. It totally is. You wanna talk about motivator? My fit bit says check engine"

I've heard Senator Warren speak before congress numerous times, I heard her speak during the primaries & I watched her speech at the Women's March in Boston. But on Saturday night, I heard something I hadn't heard from her before. Humor. The woman was so funny! Instead of standing behind a podium, Elizabeth paced all over the stage & used big hand gestures.  She referred to facts as "facty facts" because what else do you call an actual fact? She joked she should have fancy graphs behind her, but since she didn't, she legit jumped & put her arms out to the side in the line of a graph. She was so animated & just so damn likable.

At the end of the evening, she did a Q & A. I so badly wanted to ask her if she ever has time to sleep because I don't know how she does all that she does & I also wanted to thank her.  I wanted to thank her for standing up & fighting for the progressive movement.  She is such an inspiration & a champion. She is a champion for every day people, whether they agree with her liberal views or not. It was so clear how much she truly loves this country & the people in it.   As I said earlier, I've always had a fondness for her, but now more than ever, this country needs her.

"We've got to raise an army. We can't wait 4 years"

As much as I love to read, I'm not generally one for books with politicians' faces on it. But Saturday night was something special. When it was over, I found myself craving more from her. I wanted to hear what else she had to say.  I also felt very inspired. I felt inspired to fight & continue to stand up for what I believe in.  I'm very anxious to read her book & possibly her other 10 (yes 10).  It's my hope that this woman will eventually run for higher office. This country would be damn lucky to have her.

"Donald, you ain't seen nasty yet"

It was hard to get clear video, but here's just a taste of what Senator Warren was like...