In the name of love

As it is usually the case when it concerns such an emotional topic, there has been content overload and mixed messaging. I have struggled with finding meaningful ways to add to the conversation. I am still struggling. This will not be an earth shattering post, and I am not here to educate anyone today on immigration law or what is happening at the border. My post may seem banal in light of everything that is happening, but we all cope with our emotions in different ways. This is mine today.

I have been a U2 fan for over 27 years. I previously “came out” in a Facebook post. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” is one of the band’s biggest hits, but if I am 100% honest, it is a song that I have grown tired of over the span of hearing it 34 times in concert. I know it is my fault for seeing so many shows, but this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to a lot of people that I know, so don’t judge! However, there is no arguing that it is a powerful song and one that Bono often uses as a platform to decry social injustice.

As part of The eXPERIENCE & iNNOCENCE tour, while the band plays “Staring at the Sun”, the giant screen shows bleak images of white nationalists including the protesters in Charlottesville. Immediately following in the setlist is “Pride,” accompanied by images of Dr. King, the song’s inspiration, and protests for minority and women’s rights.

During the June 18, 2018 show in Washington, D.C. Bono took a moment in the middle of the song to say the following.

“Dr. King’s dream…. A dream big enough to fit the whole world. A dream big enough to fit each, and every one of us! Dreamers from Dublin. Dreamers from across the border. Dreamers trapped at the border. And we sing to those who would use the Holy Scripture to justify tearing children from the arms of their mother. We put the record straight, for Jesus said “suffer the little children, forbid them not, to come unto me”. Not make the little children suffer! That is not America.”

After a long day of juggling work, family and keeping up with the news, seeing this video, even if it is for the song that makes me groan when it starts playing during a show, made my evening a little bit better and hope it will help someone else, even if it is just for a second. We need all the energy we can muster to keep up and try to affect change.

• A link to the entire “Pride” video from this show is below, with the quoted comments starting around the 2:20 mark: Pride (In The Name Of Love) in Washington, DC. Video by kimmiekimB