Last night, after the longest leg of the Selma to Alabama march, hundreds of marchers, supporters, and community members gathered at a Catholic school in Montgomery. On each face, under the sweat and dirt from spending all day marching in the sun, you could see hope.  I was amazed that after 13 miles, there were still folks willing to stand for hours to be part of this rally, part of this moment of change.

Yes we can.

Last night, white, black, Hispanic, Catholic, Baptist, old, young, gay and straight gathered at the school to say, with one voice, that we can and we will turn back hateful laws that deny immigrants in Alabama and anywhere else in America the most basic human dignity.

Sí se puede.

The rally was in English and Spanish, and while powerful remarks came from folks like Rev. Al Sharpton, and Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change, the words themselves weren’t the most important part of the night. Together, hundreds from across the country were speaking the language of change.  We were speaking the language of a people united for humanity and standing together against those that seek to use race, language, and identity to divide us.

Our identity last night, as it has been the entire week, and as it must be to overcome hate and take power back from those that seek to deny it, was simply “American.”

Yes we will.