It's February 14th, a day we've come to associate with chocolates, flowers and Hallmark cards. But today, we are inspired by thousands of people who are taking action to demonstrate their love for all people, and to celebrate those whose words and deeds embody a courageous love on a daily basis.

Today, MomsRising is delivering over 3,000 hand-made Valentine's Day cards to Congress — sent by members who want to show their “love” of early-care and education programs. The cards were crafted using this nifty card-making tool, in the spirit of the handmade cards young children across the country are making and trading today in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Why Valentine’s cards? In their words:

Right now, most families need two parents in the labor force to make ends meet and nearly 12 million children under age five regularly spend time in child care. [...] More than 85% of a child's core brain structure is formed by age 5. So it's no surprise that quality early learning programs are a great investment and prepare children for future success.

With the fate of 300,000 Children in Early Education and Child Care in the Hands of Congress, this crafty action is designed to catch the eye and capture the hearts of Senators and Representatives — many of whom are parents themselves.

Also today, members of Standing on the Side of Love, an interfaith campaign sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association, are joining with those from many religious traditions to participate in a groundbreaking day of service, worship, and partnership with interfaith groups and community organizations in support of marginalized communities.  Already more than 125 events have been planned and stories have appeared in more than 50 papers across the country.  Under a shared banner of love, participants in National Standing on the Side of Love Day will demonstrate their commitment to confronting oppression wherever it exists in their communities:

• Congregations across the country will address the recent string of suicides by LGBT-identified young people in an assortment of ways: holding screenings of “the Laramie Project” as fundraisers for LGBT youth organizations, holding proms for same-sex couples, and filming videos for the “It Gets Better” YouTube channel.
• In Long Island, members of a congregation will sign and send Valentine’s Day cards to Congressman Pete King, expressing concern that his hearings on the “radicalization” of American Muslims are creating unfounded fear in communities.
• In Arizona, congregations will set up phone banks to contact the Obama Administration, asking for an end to programs that instill fear in our communities and break up families by enlisting local police to enforce federal immigration law.
• And in Rhode Island, Minnesota, Maryland, New Mexico, and Virginia, people will join rallies for LGBT civil rights, and even apply for marriage licenses to protest marriage discrimination.

Standing on the Side of Love supporters are also taking this opportunity to shine the spotlight on unsung heroes, and lift up those who exemplify the values of inclusion, diversity, and equality on their online Stories of Courageous Love Map.   By celebrating the good work being done by individuals in our communities, Standing on the Side of Love is working to overcome the negative stories of bullying and name-calling, partisan divides, labels and stereotypes, and political decisions motivated by fear that have pervaded our media in the last year.

These are just a couple examples of campaigns of which Fission Strategy is honored to be a part of this Valentine’s Day.