On January 21, women all around the world marched in honor of the Women’s March on Washington. There were millions of people marching for millions of different reasons. This march created solidarity among women of different races, classes, and yes, different political ideologies. There were some women who didn’t support the march. They don’t understand why these women didn’t work to make a change in their own communities. Why did they feel the need to travel across the country for a single protest? Couldn’t they make more of an impact somewhere else?

These are valid questions and challenges to the march. These are valid questions and challenges to people in general. The march was only the beginning. The march showed people that they are not alone in their fight for equality. The march showed even people who support our president believe they deserve his respect. The march showed an army of people who are ready and willing to back you up when you fight for recognition. This march is not the end. Today is a new day and people are back with their families in their hometowns. So how can you keep the momentum of this movement? How can you support equality in your everyday life?

Be kind to other people

There is no reason to insult someone or belittle them. We all benefit when we lift each other up and help each other reach their potential. Is the lady in line in front of you wearing a cute dress? Tell her. Do you admire your desk mate's work ethic? Tell her. Did your classmate rock the presentation they were nervous about? TELL THEM! It costs you nothing to be kind to other people and it makes a big difference. The longer you make a true effort to be kind to others, the more positivity you will see around you.

Be an active bystander

This statement is often connected to bullying and sexual assault, but it applies to sexism as well. If you hear someone making a sexist joke, call them out. If someone says that women should not be scientists because they’re not as smart as men (this is a real thing that happens folks), call them out. If you see a female getting in trouble for doing the exact same thing her male coworker is doing, file a complaint. People get away with marginalizing females every day because nobody calls them out. Say something. Make them uncomfortable. Nothing will change if we don't challenge sexism as a cultural norm.

Teach your kids the difference between right and wrong

This applies to how they act and how they let people treat them. “Boys will be boys” is a cop out. Being a boy doesn’t exclude you from the rules. Boys who get away with saying hurtful things to people grow up to be men that think “locker room talk” is an excuse to degrade women. “They’re only picking on you because they like you” is a total lie. If someone insulted you and pulled your hair as an adult you wouldn’t assume that they liked you. It’s not any different for children. It’s our responsibility to teach them the difference between affection and abuse. What starts out as innocent play as a child grows into “he hits me and insults me but I know he loves me” later in life. On the other side of that playground flirtation is a boy thinking that being mean is a proper way to show affection. If we raise our boys to respect girls and we raise our girls to stand up for themselves, we can make the future a more positive place to live.

Respect the way others choose to live their lives

If someone is harming themselves and others speak up. If someone is infringing on the rights of others speak up. But if a Muslim woman chooses to wear a hijab as a sign of her faith, don’t tell her she’s oppressed and attempt to convince her not to wear it. Wearing the hijab is a choice in the Muslim faith and many women wear it with pride as a symbol of their faith. If someone decides to go against gender norms, keep your commentary to yourself. If you’re a vegetarian because you believe that the meat industry is unethical that’s fine. It’s your choice and it’s your life. If you’re a vegetarian and you shame your friends because they eat meat you’re being an awful person. There are no “right” or “wrong” ways to live your life. Everyone is on a different journey and everybody’s journey is valid and important. Equality means that everyone gets equal opportunity to live a life that brings them joy.

Just be your awesome self

The best way to prove misogynists and misandrists wrong is to keep proving them wrong. Work hard to achieve your goals and then set more ambitious goals. Your gender has no bearing on how much you and do in your life or what path you choose to follow. Do you want to be a stay at home dad? That’s great! Go take care of your family in the way you think is best. Are you a woman who wants to go into computer programming? Go for it! Why not? Why should your gender have any effect on your job performance? I’ll give you a hint, it doesn’t. The only person you have to prove anything to is yourself. Follow your dreams and don’t stop until you make them a reality. Feminism aims for equality between genders. Proving that gender has no bearing on your ability to do awesome things is the first step to achieving that.

So what are you doing today to keep the momentum of women’s march going? If you would like other ideas, the Women’s March on Washington website has started “10 actions for the first 100 days” campaign. 5 million people marched for gender equality on the 21st, but every single one of us can work to make gender equality possible.