On Jan. 20, after years of silence, Americans watched the triumph of our Constitution, the confirmation of the most sacred values of the American people: freedom, equality and justice for all. Forty-six years after “I Have A Dream” awoke mainstream America, almost seven decades since we first “allowed” an African-American to sing at the inaugural, we watched as a promise of our nation was finally fulfilled.

The images from the television were mesmerizing. Those who walked the Montgomery boycott almost fifty years ago cried in relief, the sons and daughters and grandchildren of slavery wept, as did all those who have struggled so long and hard to finally feel the power of equality.

But the day was bittersweet. Freedom’s bells did not ring for GLBT Americans. In the aftermath of Proposition 8 many of us are left wondering if we will ever feel the triumph of justice. The polling all tells us of the depth of the fear and hatred we face among such a slim majority. Can our neighbors, colleagues and families can ever be persuaded that we are also Americans, worthy of the rights and dignity afforded to so many others? I believe that together we can make that case and change those few hearts and minds.

Full inclusion comes slowly, comes at a terrible price, comes after painful, heart-wrenching defeats – but if we keep fighting, if we refuse to sit idly by and wait for it or let others do the heavy lifting, it does come. And we will find the ways to make that day a reality for our community.

Our day will come thanks to those who dream the dream and keep moving forward, drawing renewed hope from each victory, never understanding defeat as anything but a temporary delay. It will come thanks to those who find the courage and strength to meet each defeat and see it as an opportunity both to learn the necessary lessons and to embrace new talent and new members. It will come thanks to those who recognize that together we are smarter, we are bigger, and we are louder and more powerful than any of us alone. It will come thanks to those who welcome all voices and who believe that, in the end, it will take all of us and all of our families, friends and indeed the great chorus of all those who love justice to finally ring freedom’s bells. It will come thanks to those who get up off the ground, embrace all those willing to fight… and keep walking.

This has been a dizzying year of hope, triumph, disappointment and loss. And now, in addition to our ongoing fight for equality, we face another fight. The one-two punch of the Prop 8 loss followed by the devastating economic times we’re facing has left many in our community reeling and threatens the very existence of many GLBT families and organizations.

But we have been here before. Our history as a community is an ongoing story of mobilizing in the face of enormous challenges, finding ways to overcome our differences in order to combine our strengths and talents, and fighting for the survival of something bigger than any one of us individually.

Together we have fought for the right to keep our jobs and our homes. Together we have fought for the right to have our families treated equally under the law. Together we have fought for medical care and medicines, and our very lives and the lives of those we love. And together we will fight to ensure that our community survives these uncertain economic times intact.

The coming weeks will continue to bring us untold challenges and The Center will innovate, create, think and rethink ways to continue to reduce expenses and deliver vital programs for our youth, families, HIV/AIDS and cancer survivors, and seniors.

But we will need your help. We will need those who can volunteer, we need every thought anyone has about collaboration or expense reduction and we need all of those who can make even small donations to give. Every $5 matters in a way that is more profound than ever before.

We know our community will find the way forward. We have seen 35 years of this community finding a way when no path seemed possible. Together we will find a path that leads us through these challenges and to a different future.