A few weeks ago (although it feels like years), Jane Fonda stood before the SAG-AFTRA audience and delivered a call to action that resonated with me deeply. I watched, inspired, as she quoted Pearl Cleage, reminding us: “On the other side of the conflagration, there will still be love. There will still be beauty. And there will be an ocean of truth for us to swim in.”
These words are a lantern in a bleak and uncertain moment, a reminder that even amidst turmoil, the seeds of renewal lie beneath the surface, waiting to bloom.
And now, spring arrives, carrying with it a quiet promise. The long-stilled earth begins to hum again. Shoots of green emerge from the frost-hardened ground, and sunlight lingers longer in the sky, a different kind of light that softens and awakens. Spring shows us the resilience of life, the enduring cycle of renewal that persists no matter how fierce the storm. Its arrival buoyantly reminds us—we, too, can begin again.
But hope is not idle. The forces we face, assaults on the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, are formidable. These challenges demand more than reaction; they demand creation. As Pearl Cleage so wisely put it, hate extinguishes the creativity to imagine something better. And we must imagine. We must resist the pull of division and plant the seeds of equity, understanding, and love instead.
All around us, life-affirming initiatives and hope-raising developments are blossoming, delivering inspiration in these times. Here are a few that have recently caught my eye:
- My alma mater, Harvard University, announced that starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, students from families earning $100,000 or less will receive full financial support, including tuition, housing, food, health insurance, and travel costs, along with grants for their first and junior years. Additionally, tuition will be free for students from families earning up to $200,000! Read more here.
- Experian, which you may know from its service to monitor your credit scores, announced it would partner with Flau’jae Johnson, a remarkable young woman known for her talents as a musician and athlete, to wipe out $5 million of debt for 5,000 Louisiana families. She was just announced as the spokesperson for Experian’s initiative to help relieve impoverished families following reports of record-high consumer debt. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, Louisiana has one of the highest poverty percentages in the country. Hear it from them.
- Med Haul founder Erica Plybeah has now raised over 7M to provide non-emergency transportation to elders, disabled people, families, and communities for doctor visits. She responded to an inconvenience with an innovative solution that improves the quality of life for patients needing medical transport. Erica Plybeah founded MedHaul in 2017, inspired by her grandmother’s mobility and healthcare access struggles. Her company partners with healthcare and community organizations to ensure patients with specific needs, like wheelchair or stretcher transport, arrive on time to appointments, improving punctuality rates from 40% to 92%. This kind of work changes the outcomes and possibilities for so many people who need it. Erica, thank you, you’ve made my heart bloom. Read more here.
We’ve sown these seeds of courage and goodness along the way. We’ve learned to recognize our interconnectedness as a global community. More voices reflect the beauty and strength of authenticity and diversity. More hands tend to the health of this planet we all share. We are better equipped than we’ve ever been to confront what lies ahead.
The seeds of our courage lie just beneath the surface, waiting for the warmth of inspiration and the rains of practice to come alive. Let’s remember to cultivate growth in this moment that will nourish our collective empowerment.
Spring invites us to melt our coldness, divisions, reservations, and partitions and grow a flourishing garden in our hearts and communities. It calls us to listen deeply, create generously, and hope fervently. Like the cherry blossoms breaking through bare branches, this is a time for renewal and possibility.
May we each find the courage to shed winter’s weight and nurture the world we long to see. The tools are in our hands, the future waits for our care.
Together, we will make it so.
With hope,
Vernā Myers Jennifer Simpson, MBA Mykah (FKA Tracy/Tres) Myers and The Vernā Myers Company (TVMC) Team