I will turn 66 this month. I’ve been writing and publishing for forty years. During this period I’ve also defined myself as a literary activist. My concern has not only been with language and how it’s used but also with the things men and women carry everyday. We carry our cultural memories and the history of who we are, the changes we encounter and the dreamers we wish to be. At the center of each artist’s heart must be the roots of civility and compassion for his fellow human being, as well as a concern for mountains, lakes and trees. The artist should create out of passion and love. The artist should be forgiving as well as fierce. The recent presidential election will force many of us to the barricades during the next few years. Why? Our nation is divided. Who Speaks for America? I always felt a poem, a play or a novel could engage and pull a person into conversation with a neighbor or stranger. Culture can be a soft pillow for hard politics. Good citizenship should promote beauty; there is nothing more beautiful than people coming together to work and build. The USDAC is a young organization doing just that. When artists and cultural workers embrace and unite it creates a different type of global warming. The USDAC cares about cultural rights and democracy. Everyone especially our children or groups that are marginalized must have access to the resources needed to create. Inside schools, business areas and even prisons, everyone should be able to sing, dance and write. There is no way, for example, we can tackle the serious problems of mental illness in our society without turning to the arts. We should no longer push our elderly into a corner when they can be reclaiming their bodies by dancing in the center of a room and enjoying the motion of living. It’s art which makes us aware of our mortality and pushes us to create things for the unborn. There are paintings that are just as important as laws. There are musical compositions that can be medical cures just waiting to be heard. What I like about USDAC is its diversity of voices and disciplines. I see many of the people involved with this organizations and its activities as being guardians of America’s future. The barricades we uphold and defend are constructed out of light and love. It’s time we place our imagination on the line.