My Nani and Nana

I woke up with this morning after a horrible dream. One of those dreams that takes you the entire day to shake. My dream was about my family. We were on a boat outside of India, which I will explain why that makes sense later, and protesting how the British were treating the people of India. My Grandfather (Nana) was leading the family and in my dream had been leading the family on protests throughout India for quite sometime. The British got aboard are boat, and needless to say were not too happy. My Nana began speaking to them about what we were doing and they handcuffed him. They then took him down by the water and made him jump in. I saw it happen and ran to my Nani (Grandmother) and began sobbing she looked at me and said "I have never been more proud of my family".

Then I woke up. What a horrifying dream but at the same time it really tells a lot about my family. My Nani grew up in India. Her parents were missionaries there and she was raised to help others. My Nana is a United Methodist Minister and has been involved in various non-profits throughout his life. He has also been very involved in politics and has been known to attend a rally or two. This past weekend they went to Topeka to rally for the Union workers. My Nani said it reminded her of the marches and rallies they attended during the 1960's civil rights movement. My Nana almost went to march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but did not have the bus fare to get to Alabama. Both of them are very involved in politics and will speak their mind on what they believe is right and wrong in this world. And I am sure you can guess they are very strong and involved Democrats- as is everyone in my family.

I get my passion for victims rights, women's rights, and human rights from my Grandparents. When I am around them all we talk about is politics, what it was like growing up when they did and the injustices in this world. My family is very intelligent and knows the importance of educating others.

I think my dream came from all the events happening around the world. The events in Egypt, the defunding of Planned Parenthood, the Unions, and so much more. In my dream we were protesting the way Britain was treating the people of India.
It makes me think about the way the United States is treating Muslim Americans. Shunning people due to their religious beliefs is against what this great country was founded on. Didn't the founding fathers come here to escape religious persecution? Didn't they make freedom of religion a part of the Constitution? I think they would be embarrassed at the way Americans are now acting. I think they would yell and scream that this is not what they wanted their country to be.

The Tea Party will say that the United States needs to get back to its roots, that we are a Christian Nation and "In God We Trust". I find that funny. We were not founded as a Christian Nation and the phrase "In God We Trust" came about in the 1950's. And it is my understanding that the US got it's Independence and became a country in 1776. So that seems strange. The Tea Party looks down upon anyone that is not Christian, that fights for human rights, and that thinks we all should be treated equally.
Supporting the Tea Party is supporting the persecutors, just like in my dream. And unfortunately people like me, that fight for people's rights and the injustices are the first ones to be shot at and harmed.

My Nani and Nana taught me about human rights, about how to treat others, about how to stand up for what you believe in, and how to show compassion and support to those in need. I am so thankful for them. Without them I might not have become the person I am today. I will never be too scared to say what I believe and to stand up for people's rights.

While my dream was devastating, I think my Nani was right. I am so proud of my family. No matter what life brings us, we will always stand up for what we believe in.

What I know today is that there are so many injustices in this world and that I will always stand up for what I believe in. I will always fight for victim's and women's rights and that I owe this ability and passion to my Nani and Nana. I love you! And keep fighting the fight!