Leading up to the premiere of #SecretProjectRevolution, I visited the website Art for Freedom. On the landing page was a question to ponder before launch…

“What does freedom mean to you?”

Considering the source, I thought about my answer in the context of my project, Guy Penn, and realized that my essays were ultimately a long form response to that very question. But as I pondered, what was surely to be another long form answer, a subsequent posting on Madonna’s Facebook page requested replies be under 100 words.

Needless to say, for someone guilty of being bombastic and verbose, I found the excise challenging. I took a step back and reread my essays. I revisited Madonna the American Witch, the Senator, the Activist, the Oracle, the Fairy God-Diva, and the Whore, all while evaluating the dynamics of Madonna and freedom.

In the end, I concluded: Madonna and freedom are one in the same. In being outspoken and creative, undeterred by social norms and popular opinion, Madonna has come to embody freedom. Perhaps more importantly, in seeing Madonna and freedom as synonymous, I better grasp the cost of freedom. I better understand my opposition, the resistance before us in the revolution of love.

“I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams.”

– Madonna

Freedom is a celebration heard around the globe, an invitation to the dance of life. It is the spirit of a girl from Detroit, the manifestation of a dream in which the world is more inclusive, loving, and kind…

Should you deny it to another, freedom was never yours to give. Earning it requires the courage to dream out loud, the heart to inspire others to be free. Keeping it, however, requires discipline and forgiveness, the stamina to endure the indignation of the imprisoned, those shackled by fear, intolerance, and hate.

In summary, freedom is being Madonna.