The more sorrowful the times, the greater the intensity of GLIDE’s celebration: our joy is a candle we pass from one person to another and hold up against the darkness. Our master of ceremonies Priya Clemens opened Holiday Jam by acknowledging, “It’s hard to be up here after what we have been experiencing, after the shock and the pain… There is so much hate in the world, but what we have at GLIDE is love and joy. So let’s move forward, powered by that joy and love!”
After joy-filled, roof-rocking strains from the Glide Ensemble, a video tribute to Cecil played, showing him at all ages of his life. A chuckle passed through the audience as Cecil said, “I hate it when people tell me God loves me. Do YOU love me?! That is the question!” Indeed, our holiness is not dependent on allegiance to some abstract doctrine, but on how well we love the people in front of us.
Our President & CEO Dr. Gina Fromer, wearing a bright silver jacket that sparkled festively in the lights of the stage, reminded us of the power of love. “We have each other, and we’re in California (thank God we’re in California!) Cherish moments like this and soak in beloved community. There is so much love in this room. I hope you can feel it, because I do!” She spoke about GLIDE’s role in feeding all kinds of hunger; not only literally, through our free meals program, but the hunger for love, meaning, and belonging.
“You shouldn’t be afraid to raise your voice for what you believe in: for justice, for freedom, for a healthy city,” she urged the audience. “Hate is loud, so when GLIDE calls for justice, we must be louder!” Our Minister of Celebration Marvin K. White built on this theme, by saying, “A love agenda is the only thing that will combat Project 2025: we need an agenda of helping the most vulnerable. We can’t just sit around and cry, unless we can fight and cry at the same time.” In saying this, he echoed the sentiments of our churchgoers, who recently told an ABC reporter the election results were inspiring them to do more volunteer work to help the marginalized.
Michael Marshall sang “San Francisco: Be Sure to Wear Flowers In Your Hair,” and our former Director of Music Vernon Bush was reunited with the Glide Ensemble and his devoted fans and sang meltingly, “love is all there is,” a line from an original composition. The audience was then thrilled by a surprise appearance from activist and songwriter Joan Baez, who fittingly filled the auditorium with John Lennon’s famous song, “Imagine.”
In a video about GLIDE’s street outreach work, we shared Community Ambassador Andra Gadson’s story about finding meaning in helping others after overcoming incarceration. His coworkers wildly cheered as his face came on the huge screen.
Then our auctioneer Michael Tate from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus masterfully charmed the audience. “Now you’re going to hear a big number,” he twinkled, “But if it’s not your number, just wait until your number comes. It’s coming: I promise you,” and then he put $100,000 on the screen, which was pledged in short order. “What are the bullet points on your love agenda?” Tate asked the auction-goers, and they responded with amazing generosity, in bids from $100,000 down to $250, giving us the money we need to keep helping people for another year. We didn’t quite reach our goal, but almost. Will you click here to help us get over the finish line?
Assemblymember Matt Haney briefly appeared on stage to declare, “We are not going back. We are not letting hate win. The love agenda is going to win!” to thunderous cheers. The mayor-elect Daniel Lurie did not make an appearance on stage, but rather sat back greatly enjoying the festivities.
The Philharmonik, winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, played and sung his winning song, “What’s it all mean?” on the piano with a dynamic energy. And when our closing act, Lenny Williams danced on to the stage in a red sparkly jacket, he charmed everyone who was still sitting down onto their feet to dance. “This is for all the lovers in the house!” he shouted, before launching into his hit “Cause I Love You.” Joan Baez came back out to sing along with him. GLIDE community poured right onto the stage to merrily dance with the GLIDE Ensemble, before the event came to a stunning finish.
