Speed of Life

  Happy Pride Month! On June 26, 2015 Marriage Equality became the law of the land. With hundreds of others I celebrated on the Supreme Court steps because the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, making marriage equality legal, granting due process and equal protection to hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples. Later that glorious day, I chatted with President Obama’s official photographer Pete Souza in front of the White House which was lit up in rainbow colors in celebration of the LGBTQ community. While we watched, the Presidential Marine Corps unit arrived. Onboard was President Obama returning from his moving speech at the memorial service for the church folks who were gunned down by a young white supremacist in South Carolina. President Obama sang "Amazing Grace" that day. Arrivals and departures… Gregg Chadwick Arrivals and Departures (June 26, 2015)  48”x36” oil on linen #art   #contemporaryart   #HappyPride   #Pride...

Anthem for our times.  "Every night / I turn the TV on and cry (And I cry, and I cry) I say why / I feel like we're all gonna die" Chance on SNL  pic.twitter.com/bQYqC5Ytsm — HawaiiDelilah (@HawaiiDelilah) November 19, 2017

Barack Obama spoke in Virginia today. Watching him speak gave me the dosage of hope & inspiration I needed. Enjoy.🇺🇸 https://t.co/JDdSPDnncD — Ricky Davila 🇵🇷 (@TheRickyDavila) October 20, 2017

Happy IDAHOBIT 2017 ! The international day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. # LoveIsLove as people join together to take a stand against prejudice. I remember standing outside the White House on the day that Marriage Equality was declared by the Supreme Court and the beauty of that storied house lit up in the colors of the LGBT flag.   "Today, I ask Canadians and people around the world to fight hatred, honour love, and defend human rights for everyone.” #IDAHOT #loveislove pic.twitter.com/orJMQR5846 — CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) May 17, 2017 Gregg Chadwick Arrivals and Departures (Charlotte to D.C. - June 26, 2015) 48"x36" oil on linen 2015-2016 

We celebrate extraordinary Americans who have lifted our spirits..& pushed us toward progress @POTUS https://t.co/gLWg7oyejg #MedalofFreedom — US Embassy Brussels (@usembbrussels) November 23, 2016 The following were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the National Basketball Association’s all-time leading scorer who helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships and the Milwaukee Bucks to another. During his career, Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 19-time NBA All-Star. Before joining the NBA, he was a star player at UCLA, leading the Bruins to three consecutive championships. In addition to his legendary basketball career, Abdul-Jabbar has been an outspoken advocate for social justice. Elouise Cobell (posthumous) Elouise Cobell was a Blackfeet Tribal community leader and an advocate for Native American self-determination and financial independence.  She used her expertise...

Thank you for this incredible journey. Let’s keep it going. God bless the United States of America!" — @POTUS "Thank you for this incredible journey. Let’s keep it going. God bless the United States of America!" — @POTUS https://t.co/pgv3aUXdle — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 28, 2016

by Gregg Chadwick photo by White House photographer Pete Souza of President Obama and rainbow  April 9, 2015 in Jamaica Today the White House released an historic video on its YouTube channel calling for a ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ individuals. I am heartened by this important development that follows up on President Barack Obama's support for a ban on all forms of so-called "conversion" therapy for minors, also known as "reparative" or "ex-gay" therapy. These efforts by the White House to lovingly support LGBTQ folks are game changing. The White House provides a clear statement of intent on their video page: "The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm. As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, the Obama administration supports efforts to ban the use ...

"We are storytellers, writers, poets, and artists who abhor unfairness, and despise hypocrisy, and give voice to the voiceless, and tell truths that need to be told." President Obama's Speech in Selma (full transcript) March 7, 2015 It is a rare honor in this life to follow one of your heroes. And John Lewis is one of my heroes. Now, I have to imagine that when a younger John Lewis woke up that morning fifty years ago and made his way to Brown Chapel, heroics were not on his mind. A day like this was not on his mind. Young folks with bedrolls and backpacks were milling about. Veterans of the movement trained newcomers in the tactics of non-violence; the right way to protect yourself when attacked. A doctor described what tear gas does to the body, while marchers scribbled down instructions for contacting their loved ones. The air was thick with doubt, anticipation, and fear. They comforted themselves with the final verse of the final hymn they sung: No ...

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans: We are fifteen years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world. It has been, and still is, a hard time for many. But tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before; more of our people are insured than ever before; we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we’ve been in almost 30 years. Tonight, for the first time since 9/11, our combat mission in Afghanistan is over. Six years ago, nearly 180,000 American troops served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, fewer than 15,000 remain. And we salute the courage...