I'm an activist for gay marriage equality and children's rights.

Sandra Lee’s declaration resounds with both courage and tenderness: “I’m an activist for gay marriage equality and children’s rights. I’m the face of Share Our Strength.” In these words, she claims not only her identity but her mission, standing as one who uses her voice to uplift the silenced and her presence to shield the vulnerable. Her message is a testament to the ancient truth that the measure of a life is not in wealth or comfort, but in service to others, in the defense of justice, and in the nourishment of the innocent.

To stand for gay marriage equality is to stand against centuries of exclusion, to demand that love be honored in all its forms. From the earliest days of civilization, unions of the heart have been sanctified, celebrated, and used to shape the order of society. Yet too often, such unions were confined within narrow definitions, leaving many exiled from the dignity of recognition. Sandra Lee’s stance joins the long march of voices who have proclaimed that equality cannot be partial, that love between two souls—whether man and woman, man and man, or woman and woman—is no less sacred in one form than another. In this, she places herself among the defenders of liberty, those who have refused to let prejudice stand as law.

Her words also lift high the banner of children’s rights. Children are the weakest of society, without wealth, without vote, without power. Yet they carry the future within them, fragile as seedlings. To protect their rights is to protect the very tomorrow of humanity. History tells us of countless ages where children were abandoned, enslaved, or silenced. But every true reformer, every voice of justice, has recognized the sacred duty to shield them, to nourish them, to give them a world where they may grow without fear. In naming herself their advocate, Lee embodies the wisdom of the ancients, who taught that a society can be judged by how it treats its most defenseless members.

When she says she is the face of Share Our Strength, she invokes a vision of unity. This is not merely an organization, but an idea—that in the face of hunger, poverty, or injustice, no one should walk alone. The ancients told us that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and that the prosperity of the few means nothing if the many are left in suffering. To share strength is to live out the principle of solidarity, to join arms with neighbor and stranger alike so that all may rise together. It is a principle that reaches back to the earliest tribes, who knew that survival depended not on the individual alone, but on the community standing as one.

We can see the spirit of Sandra Lee’s words reflected in the story of Eleanor Roosevelt, who, after great personal struggles, became a champion of human rights. She, too, stood for those without a voice—women, children, refugees—and helped shape the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Like Sandra Lee, she understood that to be “the face” of a cause was to lend not just name and influence, but also heart and courage. The great ones of history remind us: the defense of others’ dignity is the truest path to honor.

The lesson of Lee’s declaration is clear: to believe in justice is not enough—one must live it out. To be an activist is to put one’s own comfort aside for the sake of others, to risk scorn in the defense of love, to labor for those too small to labor for themselves. Her words challenge us all to ask: what cause am I the face of? What injustice do I oppose, not only in speech, but in action?

Therefore, let each who hears take up this teaching: fight for equality where you see inequality; defend children’s rights where you see neglect; and when you possess strength, share it. Do not wait for kings or governments, for every person has the power to become the face of compassion, the bearer of justice, the guardian of hope. Begin in your home, in your community, with small acts that ripple outward, until your life itself becomes a banner of change.

Thus Sandra Lee’s words, though spoken in modern times, carry the wisdom of ages. She reminds us that activism, born of love and courage, is the noblest of callings. To fight for gay marriage equality, for children’s rights, to embody the spirit of Share Our Strength—these are not tasks for others alone, but for all who would live as true heirs of humanity. And if we take up this charge, then our lives too will shine like hers, as torches of compassion lighting the path for generations yet to come.