1. I do not identify with the power structure in the US built upon skin color and gender. I do not deny it has and does exist, and that I have and do receive direct and indirect privileges from it even though I find it repulsive.

2. I refuse to be known by the socially constructed classifications of race used by that power structure even though I am superficially known that way by most of my fellow humans. Categories like “white” and “people of color” are not accurate, and I refuse to accept them.

3. I do accept being known by my biological gender even though I am deeply troubled by the sexism now and throughout history by my fellow males, and I fully support any who do not want to be known by classifications of gender, or any other classifications.

4. I know myself as a living being that is one with all of existence, connected to all past generations and answerable to all future ones. I see in myself all my ancestors from the countless places, cultures, circumstances, and shades of skin from which I came. I hold as a sacred trust the future generations that depend on our actions today. That’s my real identity as I know it, and I’m not willing to settle for less.

5. I declare my opposition to all prejudice, now and throughout history, both personal and systemic, and I will fight to my last breath to eradicate the cancer of prejudice from myself and from human society.

6. While acknowledging and confronting historic and current systemic racism and sexism, I do not accept that one’s position in the system frees one from responsibility in personal interactions. I hold that we are all poisoned by inequality, whether we are in a relative position of power or the lack of it and that the illogical thinking that is prejudice breeds more of the same while also causing confusion, self-doubt, blame, and defensiveness. Rather than further separating us by prescribing different behaviors from the oppressors and the oppressed, I endeavor to treat all adults as adults and thus I will not collude with excuses for individual or group behavior, especially the holding of prejudices and stereotypes, regardless of one’s position in any system of oppression.

7. I am deeply troubled by the history of greed, violence, and waste that intersects with racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression. I believe that prosperity can be shared, and I will work towards a more equitable, non-violent, and sustainable world.

8. I am deeply troubled by the ugly side of the history of the human race, and yet I love us deeply and will strive ceaselessly to bring forth our better angels so a day can come when future generations live in harmony, free from the social diseases of greed, racism, and sexism.

9. I recognize that the human race may yet destroy itself. I am against any and all excuses for doing so locally and globally.

10. I am deeply troubled by the ugly side of the history of my own nation and yet I also love it deeply and vow to work tirelessly towards our higher ideals such as democracy, religious freedom, freedom from tyranny, and the right of all to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This is my Declaration of Independence, my plea for collective action, my Declaration of Interdependence, and my vow to stand for a better world.

Gilmore Crosby