Happy Easter a day late for those who celebrate and for those who don’t, enjoy the rabbit. How can you not enjoy a visual of a rabbit regardless of your celebrations or beliefs?
Along the same thread, I checked out Glide for the first time since arriving in San Francisco yesterday. Most locals know what Glide, the ‘church,’ the spiritual center, ‘the national institution, a place of global worship regardless of your belief system located in The Tenderloin, one of the tougher neighborhoods of San Francisco.
It is bound to be a spiritual experience regardless of your belief system. Glide attracts hippies, addicts, the homeless, gays, the poor, the marginalized and more recently yuppies from Marin and beyond. The congregation is a true melting pot of colors, ideas, thoughts, belief systems and generations.
Founder Cecil Williams and the extremely large Glide community feed thousands of poor and homeless as well as lead political demonstrations. Over the years, Glide has offered a safe space to groups ranging from the Hookers Convention to the American Indian Movement and the Black Panthers.
My favorite part of the morning was the musical celebration and talent. The passion of those on and off stage and the diverse colors and shapes of people on every side of me. Designed to accept everyone regardless of belief system, it felt like less of a church service and more like a community to promote a sense of community, change and integration.
Their party line statement if there is one? “Glide is a place where names are named and love is celebrated and a simple call goes out to all races, classes, genders, ages, and sexual orientations: It’s recovery time. It’s time to love unconditionally.”
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
