"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." - John Lewis
I had been writing this post in my mind for weeks, full of thoughts, rants, and inspiration, but I couldn’t face the blank page on my screen. Thoughts swirled in my mind: This moment was so important. Do I have what it takes to say what needs to be said? Will I do justice to this great man and his efforts on our behalf? Do I dare to comment? How can I stay sunny when we face such seemingly dark times? Do I dare let it pass unremarked?
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” - Franklin Delano Roosevelt
While I waged my continual struggle at the keyboard, finishing my Snow White post, Senator Booker demonstrated courage on a much grander scale, and set a country ablaze.
On April 1st, 2025, Senator Cory Booker finished 25 hours and 4 minutes on his feet on behalf of the American people. He took the lectern in the Senate, full of love and devotion and fear for our once and future great nation. Inspired by the heroes that came before him and mindful of the imperfections of our system, past and present. But he came to fight, and he made his stand:
“Tonight, I rise with the intention of getting in some good trouble. I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.” - Cory Booker
For 25 hours and four minutes, he outlined, cried, harangued, and pleaded for the soul of our nation and the lives of our people. He didn’t resort to time-wasting tricks, such as reading Dr. Seuss (Ted Cruz, 2013, 21 hours), recipes for potlikker and fried oysters (Huey Long, 1935, 15.5 hours), or pages from the phone book (Alfonse D'Amato, 1992, 23.5 hours). He read letters from people who were scared and suffering, as well as quotes from works of literature or great orators that inspired him and had a direct bearing on the topic of his speech, unlike Huey Long's reading of Shakespeare.
The inspiration was invigorating. I checked in on him at all hours of the day and night to see if he was still going, to hear the latest charge against a government failing its people, to weep at the pain of my fellow Americans.
The inspiration was multi-layered; Booker’s speech was full of ideas for the future, addressing the needs of all of us and how to come back together as a people through community and mutual aid, as well as demanding the U.S. Congress step up and do what they were elected to do. Fight for us against tyranny and oppression. To make life better for all Americans and immigrants, we should continue to welcome them with open arms, for we cannot prosper without their partnership in the “Great Improvisation” that is our Union.
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” - Plato
The inspiration was welcome. Some will view his efforts as a waste of time: a speech that does not delay a particular vote or overly contentious appointment. Another Washington windbag was just blowing hot air into our bottoms. For the rest of us, Booker was a warrior armed, armored, and ready for battle because we cannot retreat in the face of small-minded bullies and their corporate-backed collaborators.
Booker's words didn't just sound in the Senate chamber—they resonated with people across the nation, catalyzing action in ways even he might not have anticipated. Five days later, I wondered how many of the myriad marchers in the national HandsOff Protests on April 5th were inspired by his speech and his sacrifices to prepare physically for the moment. If a 55-year-old politician could do that, what could we do? Five million marchers came together to tell the ruling party they could keep their hands off of everything we hold dear. A quick internet search reveals handmade signs at marches nationwide, quoting Senator Booker or simply calling him out as the motivation for leaving the house that day.
Photos from the NYC Hands-Off! Protest used with permission from the photographer, Hoboken Councilman Phil Cohen.
I continued to listen to parts of Booker’s speech and others’ comments on it, as well as their interviews with him afterward, but I could not join the marches. I finally located one 100+ miles away from my desert oasis, with a 9-year-old EV with a range of 82 miles and a 9-year-old child that I am not ready to put in harm’s way…But surely I could do something — and I would, and I will, continue to seek opportunities to get in some good trouble.
While these protests may have demonstrated the immediate impact of Booker's marathon speech, the historical significance of his accomplishments deserves deeper reflection.
The inspiration was overdue. It is shameful that for sixty-eight years, the record for the longest Senate speech was held by a hypocritical racist filibustering the Civil Rights Act of 1957 for 24 hours and 18 minutes. But, how typically American of us to cling to our ugly past with some false nostalgia for a time we never knew, and that wasn’t really all that, but might, just might, be better than what a few are experiencing right now. But still, something nagged my brain when I reflected on Senator Booker’s words that day, and I finally figured out why:
“I'm getting close to a record, folks, there's a room here in the Senate named after Strom Thurmond to hate him isn't wrong. And maybe my ego got too caught up that if I stood here, maybe, maybe just maybe, I could break this record of the man who tried to stop the rights upon which I stand.
I'm not here, though, because of his speech. I'm here despite his speech. I'm here because, as powerful as he was, the people were more powerful. But I remind you, all those people who believe like me, that we've got to redeem the dream.”
Cory Booker called for us to help our neediest people while their aid is threatened. Strom Thurmond defended segregation. Booker called for us to uplift each other, while Thurmond called for us to deny each other’s humanity. They are like night and day, where Thurmond is the darkness that would hold us back and keep us down, and Booker is the infinite possibility contained in the first rays of sunshine. Yet, somehow, the U.S. Senate saw fit to name a room after Thurmond in 1991, presumably for the supreme accomplishment of being a stubborn old white man who would stand by his beliefs no matter how wrong he might be, as he showed the American people in 1957 when he attempted to move the Senate to uphold a systemic suppression of voters’ rights.
“The Fear of being thought weak is a Timidity and Weakness of the worst Sort, as it betrays into a Persisting in Errors, that may be much more mischievous than the Appearance of Weakness. – Benjamin Franklin, written in marginalia on the eighth resolution of the “Protests of the Lords against the Repeal of the Stamp Act (I)”
Thurmond died at one hundred years old, a total hypocrite, unmasked by his secret daughter, whom he fathered upon an unwilling sixteen-year-old African American girl working as a domestic servant in his youth. He was ultimately a complicated man, both vocal for segregation and known for nominating the first African American Federal judge, while keeping his daughter-of-color a secret. He may have learned a lesson or two along the way. Still, one thing is sure: he lived in shame and fear of who he was and who he loved, and that is never something to be celebrated. I condemn him.
“You think we got civil rights because one day, Strom Thurmond, after filibustering for 24 hours… You think we got civil rights because he came to the floor one day and said, "I've seen the light. Let those Negro people have the right to vote."? No. We got civil rights because people marched for it, sweat for it and John Lewis bled for it. And so I am scared too, but fear is a necessary precondition to courage.” - Cory Booker
As many of us already know, even the negative can inspire those of good heart. But, beyond that and besides the uplifting optics of erasing Thurmond's record lies a profound lesson about our relationship with fear itself.
“Fear is a necessary precondition to courage.” When Senator Booker said those words, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have spent much time contemplating courage, dreams, and purpose in life, and I recognize when fear is holding me back. I saw it happening with this article. I had told my writing group that I was going to trash this article and start another because too much time had passed, and I obviously did not have a clear topic( and one might still say that), or it would have been done by now, right? Then, when we entered our writing sprint, I was left alone with my thoughts and a search for a new topic to explore. None were as inspiring as this one, here and now. So, I made note of other topics for the future and returned here to face this challenge.
"Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will."
- W. Clement Stone
One writer’s fear is not the point here; I am just one of the many inspired, but as Booker has shown us, we can transform fear into something more…we can turn fear into motivation, as MLK did, we can turn fear into love, as Gandhi did, we can turn fear into courage, as Cory Booker is. Present tense, is: he is deep in the middle of an alchemical transmutation, banishing the fear that haunts all Americans, dispelling the fear wielded by a demagogue and his sycophants and collaborators, to keep a great people down. Watch him work. Join him. All we have to do is find a tiny spark of courage in the words and deeds of others to help us face our fears and come together to face the darkness.
“My voice is inadequate. My efforts today are inadequate to stop what they are trying to do, but We the People are powerful, and we are strong.”
– Cory Booker
This renewed realization—that facing fear is the pathway to courage—prompted me to move beyond contemplation into action. My first act of courage was a small act in defiance of a long-perverted system and against a long-standing injustice. My first inspired act is to ask for a small change. It will not change the world, but it may tell our oppressors that we are done being overlooked while our elders twist the system to ruin our futures to benefit their twilight yers. It will tell our children that America can and does progress and that there is still room for everyone in our melting pot, despite what the haters say.
I wrote to the two Senators of New Mexico, my new reps, and asked them to support a bill to rename S-238, the Strom Thurmond Room. Not to name it after Cory Booker, though the room would bear his name, perhaps for many years. They should take the opportunity of a new record setter to correct the mistake they made in 1991.
Dear Senators,
I am writing to respectfully request that you take up a proposal to rename Senate room S-238 to honor the tradition of extended Senate speeches and filibusters, which represent a unique aspect of our democratic process. As a respected member of the Senate, your advocacy would be instrumental in advancing this meaningful recognition of senatorial dedication.
Proposal Details:
Initially rename room S-238, currently known as "The Strom Thurmond Room," to "The Cory Booker Room" in recognition of Senator Booker's notable extended speech on the Senate floor.
Establish a living dedication that automatically updates to honor whichever Senator holds the record for the longest speech or filibuster in Senate history. A commemorative plaque would display the current record holder's name, date of speech, and duration.
Create a historical display within the room documenting notable extended Senate speeches and their impact on legislation and public discourse.
This dynamic dedication would serve as both a recognition of parliamentary endurance and a subtle reminder of the Senate's unique deliberative tradition. It would create an engaging point of interest for visitors while honoring those who have literally stood for their convictions.
I believe this proposal offers a meaningful way to celebrate an important aspect of Senate history while creating a flexible recognition system that can evolve with time.
I would be grateful if you would consider championing this proposal through the appropriate Senate channels. Your leadership on this matter would be greatly appreciated, and I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this proposal further at your convenience.
Signed, me
While my letter represents just one small response, it joins the growing call for action–for acts of justice and compassion–rising across the nation.
Since I started this article, a second march has occurred, from 50501, and millions more have turned out. You cannot argue that people aren’t worried about the future…see the Fight Oligarchy tour or the town halls where Republicans fear to tread, as Democrats come and talk to their constituents because no one else will. We all deserve the truth. We are beginning to take action, where people of all persuasions and parties come together to demand answers, action, or a cessation of action.
“I am angry too, but my mom told me, "Never let your anger consume you. Channel it. Fuel it so it can help your love be greater and stronger."
– Cory Booker
This month, Cory Booker became a hero for facing his own fears and doing something monumental—he spoke truth to power. But more importantly, he tried to reach the people rather than lining his pockets with corporate “donations” and remaining silent while we suffered. His constituents were writing to him with their fears and hopes, and he listened to them, regardless of their party affiliation, because he knew their experiences were what mattered. That we all have a duty to each other…and he met the moment.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
In the absence of a united Congress serving the people or even the absence of a united party, speaking the truth of today, Booker decided to stand and act, and that is what we all must do. We can find sunshine in our union to oppose tyranny. We can find any small way to lend a hand.
“I rise tonight because silence at this moment of national crisis would be a betrayal of some of the greatest heroes of our nation. Because at stake in this moment is nothing less than everything that we brag about, that we talk about, that makes us special.” –Cory Booker
How can we not rise with him? If you are like me and can’t make the protests in the big cities? Organize one in your small town. On the 19th, tens of thousands of people in small cities and towns across Alaska turned out to protest. My son and I are having a civics lesson next week to find out how to get a permit for a peaceful protest in our desert oasis, because he wants to protest RFK Jr. and his recent speech on Autism, because even at 9, he knows it was wrong.
Don’t want to physically endanger your family like me? Find an online group or community to support. Write to your congressional representatives—demand town halls or other action.
We all must act as we will. Campaign online, march in the streets, make art that speaks truth, give to causes that support freedom, and fight oppression and injustice wherever we see it. Or, maybe, start a petition to mobilize peaceful resistance. This is what I had to do.
‘Had to do’ because I couldn’t let one little statement out of those 25 hours drop:
“there's a room here in the Senate named after Strom Thurmond”
That injustice couldn’t stand, and I am sure it is not enough that I wrote to my Senators and asked them to sponsor a petition. So, I used Resist.Bot to turn that letter into an open letter people could send to their Senators. Maybe you will read these words and join me in requesting this from yours? Maybe you have a letter you want to distribute? Throw it in the comments and I’ll consider it.
The nationwide protests reveal that millions of Americans are finding their courage in this moment—a courage born from confronting their very real fears. And I'm no different. Fear is something I face every day—fear of being a good enough writer, fear that my child will know trauma as I have, fear that I will never be good enough for the tasks ahead. I have long meditated on the nature of fear and have even spoken at a small charity conference about finding courage in the face of fear as a path to serve others.
“Fear is failure and the forerunner of failure: and courage the beginning of virtue.” - Aleister Crowley
There are hints contained within the quotes I have included in this post on how to face fear, cultivate courage, and proceed anyway, and boy, do we need that right now. Fear is the monkey mind holding back the enlightened human, but still, Booker was right. We cannot know courage without the precondition of fear. So, once afraid, we must seek inspiration to overcome it. As you have noticed, I often find courage in the words of those who came before me, whether it was fact or fiction, 2000 years ago or on April 1st.
"Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will."
- W. Clement Stone
One of the things Booker said that inspired me was that “The power of the people is greater than the people in power.” We can see this is true with the contrast between Booker and Thurmond. One of the longest-serving Senators, he had only served three years when he defied his party (then a Democrat) and spoke out for 24 hours and 18 minutes to put a stop to the protection of black Americans’ voting rights, which had long been guaranteed by the 15th Amendment, but were blocked by state laws or poll taxes and other shady voter restrictions. Despite his long, impassioned speech, the bill was passed two hours after he concluded his speech and signed into law within two weeks.
The Civil Rights movement and the Women’s suffrage movement before it are two examples of the triumph of the people's power. Senator Booker rose to remind us of our power, as he is only one man, and we need vast numbers to change the world. We need community or people power, and as we saw in the Saturday marches in the weeks since, the people have heard him.
“Be an American that says, "I look to the future, and I'm excited." Yes, things are tough right now. They're hard, they're scary, they're hurting, but we can overcome this. Our American history, if it's nothing else,… it is a perpetual testimony to the achievement of impossible things against impossible odds.” - Cory Booker
So, I face my fears and would spread inspiration with my words. Maybe you will be likewise inspired to stand up in the face of oppression or maybe to support my resist.bot petition to rename the senate room and let them know that their hero worship of unworthy men will no longer be tolerated. At the same time, we would gladly celebrate the Senate’s deliberative process and the voice it gives to internal resistance. Or perhaps you will see me once again overcome my fears of failure—and success—to post this article, and you will dare to do something great for yourself. To do the thing you long, yet fear, to do.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” - Frank Herbert, Dune
The American Way is not to sit quietly and suffer – stiff upper-lip style. It is to stand up for those who have less than us, who need an advocate, who need a hand, and stand up to those who need to STFU. We stand for the weak and the poor because we are strong. We speak up for those who have no voice because we are free to do so. We risk everything for something better, because we know it can be. Cory Booker faced his fears and inspired a nation. What could you not do if you learned to face your fears and act with an open heart?
I leave you now, as I came to you, with words of inspiration. This time, the very words that sealed the deal for me to write this post in the first place. Spoken the day Cory Booker had inspired him to a moment of courage:
"After Booker's speech, the odds don't seem so impossible anymore." - Lawrence O’Donnell
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