Fighting hate
See with your heart: Austin shows True Colors at Anti-Defamation Leaguefundraiser
It's easy to understand why the Anti-Defamation League in Austin is able to attract such a great crowd year after year to their annual True Colors fundraiser. Their mission, to fight hatred and discrimination of all forms, is one we can all rally around.
It doesn't hurt that ADL's True Colors fundraiser is known for being a party that's not only entertaining, but also creative. Each year the event is held at an unconventional spot and this year was no different. True Colors was the first nonprofit event hosted by Wanderlust LIVE, Austin's recently opened state-of-the-art yoga studio, music venue and mindful destination.
The ADL team turned the Wanderlust space into a fun house with non-stop food, drinks, live entertainment and plenty of opportunities to show support for the cause.
The theme of the evening, "Seeing with your Heart," was centered around creating a community that celebrates diversity. Throughout the night volunteers walked around with iPads encouraging people to sign a petition for marriage equality. Guests also took home t-shirts screen printed on-site with the message: "We wish in the near future it will be very very very hard to see any form of discrimination."
Karen Gross, Austin community director of ADL, managed to silence the crowd long enough to introduce Muna Hussaini, a Muslim woman who faced discrimination post 9-11 and said she often feared for her life and wished she had known about ADL. Members from Equality Texas and the Human Rights Campaign were also on hand to show their support.
While the short program reminded people how much work still needs to be done, the fundraiser as a whole was a true celebration of how far we've come.