March 19-21 Baylor University (waco, texas)

i am finding it harder and harder to find words to describe what exactly it is i have experienced over the last 2 days. we were not invited onto baylor's campus on monday, but it is a large campus and we walked on without much trouble. there was such a great student interest, crowds of people wanting to know what they could do to help bring change to their campus. students, young and old, coming out to us for the first time----words freeing themselves from lips that have been taped shut their entire lives because of a fear of complete rejection. the conversations we had were great, all things considered, it was a wonderful first day.

2003 was the last year an unofficial campus group called "baylor freedom" was in practice. this was an underground group for LGBTQ students and their allies, that deteriorated after its members graduated. LGBTQ students were left without a voice, and even when they were still a group, their messages were erased once they were written. student groups on baylor's campus "chalk" advertisements for their group meetings and what not, but when baylor freedom attempted to join in, their markings were quickely washed away by the power hoses waiting behind them. our second day at baylor university was a revival of this chalking tradition. a remembrance of baylor freedom, and a new start for the LGBTQ students on the campus now. the 26 of us plus about 10 baylor students walked in a straight line towards the campus chapel yesterday at about 2pm. about a 5 minute walk and by the time we reached the chapel steps our line of 36 had grown to over 50....students wanted to take a stand. a few words were said in honor of baylor freedom and then we began to chalk.
"i am gay"
"we are all god's children"
"live and let live"
"do justice, love mercy, walk humbly"
"rainbows are meant to be seen"
and on and on and on.....
5 of our riders were arrested for this, and 1 baylor student.
the judge never showed up yesterday so the people who have grown to become my family away from home were in jail....are still in jail.....over night. this has never happened before, equality riders spending the night in jail and i have been having a really difficult time grasping it all. i truly feel like a portion of my heart is missing, and they still have yet to be released.
usually bail is around $100, but theirs is set for $2,000 each.
we are going to get them out today, absolutely but that is a $12,000 dent in our equality ride budget. we are hoping to raise more funds so that we can complete our ride.
5 more riders, including myself, have stayed behind in waco, texas while everyone else has gone off on the bus to jackson, mississippi, our next stop. once they are released from jail we will drive to mississippi in rented cars and meet up with the rest of our group.
our love for each other is strong.
and i find so much strength in knowing that their is a huge number of students on baylor's campus that are currently besides themselves because of how their school's administration has treated us.

****pictures to come****
for now you can go to this link : www.adambritt.net
and view my fellow rider's photographs....they are truly powerful images.