#ResistMarch founder Brian Pendleton: “It was a moving human rights monument—and it was a beautiful thing to be part of.”
BY MARK ARIEL
A crowd estimated at about 100,000 took part in the #ResistMarch last month. The march for human rights, organized by LA Pride, was in solidarity with the National Equality March for Unity and Pride, which took place in Washington, D.C.
Starting at Hollywood & Highland, the site of the first Pride parade in Los Angeles, participants walked through Hollywood to West Hollywood where speakers included U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullons, and many other public figures, activists, comedians and actors.
“You are me and I am you. And we are one,” Rep. Maxine Waters told the crowd. “We are here today to send a message loud and clear…We resist homophobia; we resist poverty, anti-Semitism, and we resist hatred toward Muslims and all religions.”
“We are ecstatic about how it all turned out,” #ResistMarch founder Brian Pendleton told THE FIGHT. “It was a moving human rights monument—and it was a beautiful thing to be part of.”
“The idea was to lend our rainbow flag to other minorities within our communities… basically to anyone feeling disenfranchised in the current political climate… We are fighting against discriminatory policies and making sure America is for all of us, not just a few.”
Rep. Maxine Waters: “We are here today to send a message loud and clear…We resist homophobia; we resist poverty, anti-Semitism, and we resist hatred toward Muslims and all religions.”
Pendleton, the founder and organizer of the #ResistMarch, was recently awarded a spot in the David Bohnett Foundation’s Leadership program.
Designed for executives working with state and local governments—this intensive, three-week Executive Education program at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, hones skills and furthers the leadership potential of accomplished individuals from across the United States.
When asked if participation in the program signals a future in politics, Pendleton told THE FIGHT: “It’s possible but it’s a bit too early for me to think about that … Obviously a whole new world has opened up to me personally—and I am grateful for that—however—at the end of the day—I just want to give back to my community and be of service.”
headshot photo: Brian Pendleton
