 I was asked to come and talk a little bit about what Pat Parker means to me and I don't really think there are any words to capture that. I wrote a piece called Intergenerational Longings and Other Acts of Perversion about the writings of Pat Parker and Judy Gron. I can say as someone of my generation in our 40s who was introduced to Pat Parker through women studies that it's interesting to be a part of this generation and feel kind of perpetually in a state of longing. Longing for these women who were so equally parts lesbian, black, feminist and revolutionary which is, I wouldn't say that if it wasn't for Pat Parker I wouldn't be here because I don't know if that's right or if that fits completely but I was talking about Prince the other day and I can say for sure that I am because she was or because he was. But it's not a sad state but it's a state to be in a state of longing. And I identify as a queer black feminist, sort of all one word and that is certainly because of the likes of Pat Parker. So I wanted to just read the first piece that I was introduced to, I'm sorry I feel like such a professor up here I'm just like so let me read, there are other professors that will come up that won't do this but anyway the first piece that I was introduced to was revolution. It's not neat or pretty or quick in this bridge called my back. And so I just want to read a couple of pieces because this is the kind of longing that I think we have now, the place that we're in now politically that we need to go back to these words. So she says we are in a critical time and this was written in 1980 at the Basta conference in Oakland but she says we are in a critical time. Imperialist forces in the world are finding themselves back against the wall. No longer able to control the world with the threat of force and they are getting desperate and they should be desperate. What we do here this weekend and what we take from this conference can be the difference. The deciding factor as to whether a group of women will ever again be able to meet not only in this country but the entire world. We are facing the most critical time in the history of the world. The superpowers cannot afford for us to join forces and work to rid this earth of them and we cannot afford not to. And then I'll just read one more piece because I do think it's fitting given the recent appointments. So where did it go, sorry. Okay, sorry, okay. The Klan and the Nazis are enemies and must be stopped but to simply mobilize around stopping them is not enough. They are functionaries, tools of this governmental system. They serve in the same ways as our armed forces and police. To end Klan and Nazi activity does not end imperialism. It doesn't end institutionalized racism. It doesn't end sexism. It does not bring this monster down and we must not forget what our goals are and who our enemies are. To simply label these people as lunatic friends and not accurately assess their roles as a part of the system is a dangerous error. These people do the dirty work. They are the arms and legs of the congressman, the businessman, the charlateral commission. And the message they bring is coming clear. Be a good American. Support registration for the draft. The equation is being laid out in front of us. Good American equals support imperialism and war. To this end I must declare I am not a good American. Thank you. Come on, give her a hand.