LOS ANGELES-The right-wing lead Tea Party express pulled into Los Angeles today seeking to delegitimize President Obama and efforts to improve access and affordability to quality health care for nearly 50-million Americans, only to meet the opposition of over 60 local activist lead by the Courage Campaign.

Rev. Eric Lee, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles, delivered moving remarks that underscored the moral imperative for meaningful health care reform while dozens of tea party protesters stood within ear shot of the counter protest bullhorn.

Armed with the courage to stand up, step out, and be heard activists from Organizing for America (formerly Obama for America), New Frontier Democratic Club, RENEWL, and Zombies for Progressive Reform joined our Courage Campaign members at Griffith Park to demand their right for health care.

Dozens of Los Angeles Police officers were on hand to prevent a lively protest and counter protest from becoming a heated provocation.

Lead by Rev. Eric Lee early in the afternoon, the counter protesters separated from tea party protesters by yellow caution tape and a 30-foot buffer zone designed by LAPD, shouted "Jesus believed in health care," "Yes we can," and "We want reform."

Courage Campaign Equality Team Leader Robert Olivarez shared a compelling personal story that underscored the need for affordable health care for all Americans regardless pre-exisiting conditions like the diabetes he suffers with.

With the support of Courage Campaign Equality Team Leader Derrick Mathis and Courage Campaign Deputy Field Organizers Brian Shurwood and Ruben Murillo, our tea party counter protest was organized in three days to demonstrate support for meaningful health care reform with a strong public option.

In addition, we wanted the tea party protesters to know that they do not represent the people of Los Angeles and the vision of a more progressive America we must continue to support.

The fight for meaningful health care reform continues tomorrow and the next day until it's law.

Visit www.couragecampaign.org to learn what you can do to fight for meaningful health care reform.

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Rev. Eric Lee, author of "Marriage Equality: The California Proposition 8 Divide," moved the crowd with the passionate delivery of a lesson in how to frame the argument in support of marriage equality to faith leaders and the African-American community at large, tonight at the Washington, D.C. home of a prominent African-American LGBT opinion-leader.

The living room filled with almost three dozen LGBT activist and staff from leading nationally recognized organizations including: The International Federation of Black Prides, Courage Campaign, Gertrude Stine Democratic Club, The Victory Fund, National Black Justice Coalition, Human Rights Campaign, and Democracy for America (DC,) recieved the message and messenger with open arms.

"I am leaving this event tonight without any doubt that we have a strong ally that's willing to stand up for Black justice and LGBT justice all at once without hesitation, said Jasper Hendrick," a D.C. political insider.

Earlier in the day, the Human Rights Campaign hosted a luncheon in honor of Rev. Lee with local African-American church leaders and the Dean of Howard University Divinity School at their national headquarters to discuss the intersection of Black justice and LGBT justice issues.

Rev. Lee, who has been threatened with dismissal from his post as President of SCLC-Los Angeles by the National Southern Christian Leadership Conference Board due to his support for same-sex marriage in California, calls his book a blueprint designed to empower all people but especially Black straight and LGBT people with the tools to articulate a compelling argument for justice.

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Rev. Eric Lee, President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles, and I arrived in D.C. Thursday night on what has been a non-stop mission to engage the nation’s most influential African-Americans in U.S. politics. From a White House briefing with nationally known African-American faith leaders and community partners to the National Newspaper Publishers Association (Black Press) reception to the Annual Congressional Black Caucus Faith Roundtable and Phoenix Award Gala, we have been working tiressly to frame the issue of marriage equality as a morally imperative justice issue in need of their attention.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended the Congressional Black Caucus Phoenix Award Gala on Saturday night, walking out on stage to a thunderous applause and standing ovation by almost four thousand of the nation’s most influential African-American politicos before the President passionately made the case for health care insurance and education reform as defining issues for the Congressional Black Caucus and U.S. Congress at-large, after highlighting the budding success of his administrations actions to stem the hemorrhaging job losses of The Great Recession that continue to challenge communities across the country.

“Bringing hope and opportunity to places where they are short in supply—that’s not easy. It will take a focused and sustained effort to eradicate the structural inequalities in our communities—structural inequalities that make it difficult for children of color to make a success of their lives, no matter how smart or how talented or how driven they are,” said President Obama.

While President Obama’s remarks shed great light on the challenges facing people of color in great proportions, Rev. Lee sees these challenges as an opportunity to better inform the marriage equality and greater progressive movement.

“Marriage equality is not a priority in African-American community when we have the highest levels of unemployment, health care disparities, high rates of HIV/AIDS infections among young people and African-American women, a growing cribs to prison pipeline, and education inequity in public schools. Justice however is always a priority and marriage equality is a justice issue,” said Rev. Lee during today’s Washington Post interview.

The Courage Campaign, Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles, and International Federation of Black Prides have been working closely since the “Meet in the Middle” march and rally in Fresno, CA designed to chart a course for justice that would become increasingly more inclusive of communities habitually left out of LGBT coalition and agenda building efforts. The support of Rev. Lee by Courage Campaign and the International Federation of Black Prides offers advanced evidence of the growing repudiation of the narrow and self-serving politics that fractures communities, creates distrust, and keeps us from becoming a progressive state and country that affirms the dignity of all Americans.

Rev. Lee left a copy of his recently published book, "Marriage Equality: Proposition 8, The California Divide" with a high-level Obama Administration staffer following our Friday afternoon White House briefing as a resource for President Obama.

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