 So, we give the HB Spear Award for Achievement in the Field of Law Enforcement to those involved in law enforcement who have demonstrated a balanced regard for the needs of enforcement and human compassion. HB Spear played a lead role in British drug policy for more than a quarter century and he believed that drug policy and law enforcement could be rational and humane and, you know, we just had a big conversation this afternoon about policing and how important it was that we engage police in this effort to reform the war on drugs. So, I'm delighted to introduce Artway, DPA's Colorado State Director, to present this HB Spear Award to Diane Goldstein. I look at you beautiful people, give yourself a round of applause if you don't mind. This is lovely. Let me see how I look real quick, okay, I'm good. You know, usually when we do these conferences, staff, you know, we try to pace ourselves and when we're asked to do certain things, we may hesitate, but do I want to do that? What am I doing that day? Do I have time to do that? But when I was asked to do this, there was absolutely no hesitation. You know, some people just feel right. Some people you just feel like you should be next to. Some people you just feel like you should work with. Some people I consider social justice oracles. And the lady who I want to give this award to, I realized when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to say, I was like, you know what, I think she's your newest oracle. I haven't worked with her every day all day. I've known her for five years. It feels like 20, yet it feels like maybe two. She's just somebody who I know, if I need some assistance, if I need some knowledge, if I need first hand experience, I can go to her and get it. So you know, Diane is somebody who can take an idea and turn it into an op-ed in 30 seconds. You know, it's a lot of us out there who can do that, but unlike me, she doesn't need five people to edit it first, right? She's a very smart woman and I rarely feel like this about people. And usually when I feel like this to people, about people, they're a little bit older to me or around my age. You know what I'm saying? I'm not a spring chicken. They're usually women. They're usually black women. They're usually Chicano women because that's where I grew up in the city of Denver. And I think Diane is the first Jewish woman I feel like this about. And I don't know what took me so long because I'm such a humanist, as many of you all know. So you know, without further ado, meet my newest oracle within the social justice movement. Please put your hands together for Diane Ghosting. Oh, I forgot to mention Diane is currently temporarily crippled, so please give your attention to the front of the stage. So sorry. First of all, I feel kind of like the U.S. post office through Sleeter Reign. For me, it was through Broken Ankle on September 11th, surgery 12 days ago, and almost being evacuated for the Orange County fires. I still made it. I am so deeply humbled and honored to stand here. And I'd like to thank DPA first and foremost, this movement and the many coalition partners and friends who have mentored and helped me to get here. To stand here with Ethan Natelman and Kathy, leaders in harm reduction, Michelle Alexander and Cory Booker, people that I have admired and respected and I believe are heroes and icons. And it inspires me to continue to do this work. For those that know me, know my story and know that I come to this work because of the related death of my brother from a drug overdose and my professional experience which forced me to critically analyze our drug policy and the harms that it has caused so many. My work is based on the love of my brother and my promise that by turning my grief into activism, that I hope to help into criminal justice system that has been responsible for not a war on drugs, but a war on people. I do this work in my brother's name and to make amends for the impact that our criminal justice system has had in supporting structural and systemic racism in our society. Washington Irving once stated, there is sacredness in tears, they are not the mark of weakness but of power. They speak more eloquently than 10,000 tongues, they are messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and unspeakable love. The tears that I have shed are not just for my brother, but for those who have lost loved ones to drug overdose each and every day to many of my friends and family that I know this occurs to, that have also left their loved ones to the criminal justice system. I want to also acknowledge the many women that could also be standing here with me and discuss that although women have served in leadership roles throughout our past, I believe our capabilities are still untapped, not just in this movement, but in society as well. Yet I also feel that the biggest roadblock to women in leadership are not just placed on us by society but by ourselves that don't recognize what we can accomplish if we are just allowed to spread our wings. My career path provided the framework for many things, my path to activism, my parenting skills, and my ability to become a leader. As the second generation of the vanguard of women in patrol, my on-the-job training was navigated through a truly undefined roadmap as a trailblazer over 20 years ago, actually longer now, 1983. I'm old. My path to leadership was laden with lessons as I balanced being a strong female in a male-dominated culture. I spent my formative years in law enforcement feeling I needed to prove my ability. My standard was not mere proficiency and there are those women that I have spoken to here who talk about that their search has always been for excellence in this field, not just proficiency. Those older years exposed me to many things good and bad. I've seen the best and worst of people as well as both extremes in my coworkers which taught me to rise above the fray. Most importantly, it instilled in me the strength and the determination to redefine myself and evolve through my life, which is what brought me here today. Ironically, it was my years in policing that forged my character. It taught me leadership in many things. It's consensus-building, mentoring, decision-making, and the ability to bring out the best not just in myself but in everybody that I work with and I touch. Ultimately, good leadership can transform a group, an organization, and even a nation. Women have been doing this since the beginning of time. Nevertheless, we don't recognize the inherent leadership traits we have and the potential to improve our families and our communities. With leadership traits that we share that include compassion, creativity, intelligence, honesty, and the ability to think both analytically and strategically, I am happy to see the emergence and the acknowledgement of so many powerful women leaders in this movement since I started in this work. I'll end it with Thoreau once said, aim above morality. Be not simply good, but be good for something. My many roles in life have only been enhanced by embarking on my own personal mission, by being good for something. I bring out the many inherent leaderships in other women as well. By defining my purpose, I have become stronger. I continue to speak the truth in spite of pressure from groups content with the status quo. Ask Lombakis about that, right? In finding this purpose, I've been transformed through the power of new friendships that I never thought I would have. And through the horrors of injustice to continue to fight, to make not just my life better, but also to speak for those without a voice. And I want to thank each and every one of you and I will continue to my dying dead to fight for equal justice and to end this failed drug war. Thank you.