In a speech at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, Hillary Clinton proclaimed that "human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights".
This prominent phrase has resonated profoundly within the feminist movement including the Women's March on Washington. This phrase is something that I had first encountered with the Women's March, something that immediately caught my eye.
Hillary's proclamation did not attempt to explain why women's rights mattered, but also did not give reason to ask why they mattered. Hillary's proclamation makes this distinct correlation between human rights and women's rights. People do not need to ask why human rights matter. The value of human rights is something that is already established within society. When reading Hillary's proclamation, I didn't feel the need to ask why my rights mattered because "women's rights are human rights".
The Women's March on Washington attempts to encompass multiple marginalized groups in order to send a message to the new Trump administration as well as the Republican-controlled Congress that women's rights cannot be suppressed or ignored. With the departure of Obama and Republican control over Congress, many of the progressive legislation that was implemented during Obama's terms are now being challenged by the Republican party.
Planned Parenthood, an organization dedicated to providing women with adequate healthcare for little to no cost, is now under attack by the Republican party. The decision making of Congress as well as the President effects all Americans but, more specifically, marginalized groups.
The conservative views of the predominantly Republican Congress and Trump are not shared by most Americans. According to a Washington Post article titled “The Growing Myth of the Independent Voter", around 29% of Americans identify as Democrat versus around 26% identify as Republicans. The decision making of the Republican-controlled Congress and Trump's policies will have detrimental effects on Americans who are immigrants, people of color, women, LGBTQ+, Muslim, among many other things.
These individuals that were listed make up America and the Republicans within Congress as well as Trump have no intentions of serving and aiding them. I, as a Muslim woman of color whose own mother is undocumented, recognize the hardships that will come with a Trump presidency and a Republican-controlled Congress. It is for these reasons that a movement is required. The Women's March on Washington sends a bold message to the Republicans within Congress and Trump that the needs of marginalized groups cannot be ignored.
The National Committee is composed of a variety of women of all backgrounds and talents. The women on the committee all have had a broad experience in social justice. Carmen Perez, one of the co-chairs, has dedicated over 20 years to battling mass incarceration, advocating for gender equality, among other things.
I recall my first day at the New York headquarters of Women's March on Washington and watching Carmen declare that Starbucks products were not allowed in the office as they contributed to the prison industrial complex. Tamika D. Mallory, one of the co-chairs, is recognized for her outstanding work in social justice focusing on police brutality, women's rights, and civil rights issues, among a myriad of other injustices in our society.
Tamika was one of the national organizers for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. She is a very qualified woman who I recall being one of the more persistent, stronger forces within the organizing of the Women's March urging her team members to hash out the basics for the Women's March and leave the details last.
Alyssa Klein, the social media manager, when asked about how she became associated with the march replied, “I wanted to be involved in the march and my focus in the past has been on social media so that seemed like the best area for me to get involved". Each of these women specialized in particular areas to form an inter reliable team. I admired these women all the more for having attended, myself, organized Black Lives Matter protests.
One of the tasks I was given as an intern at Women's March was to find the contact information of social justice-centered organizations in order to reach out to and form a partnership with. There are more than 400 confirmed partners of all backgrounds including ACLU, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Trayvon Martin Foundation, among many. The tasks I were given were a bit tedious but worth the effort.
These partnerships are vital as many of these partner organizations agreed to mobilize and bring people to the Women's March on Washington. Another example of a task I was given was running errands such as delivering mail. But let me remind you, I am in no way complaining and thankful that I was given the opportunity to contribute to a movement aimed at making a stand for my rights.
The tasks that I faced composed of compiling and organizing spreadsheets, running errands, and finding contact information for potential partner organizations. But these tasks were worth the effort in hopes of making history.
In her concession speech for the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton announced, "to all the little girls watching this, never doubt that you are powerful and valuable and deserving of every chance in the world." The Women's March on Washington makes a stand for all the little girls who have ever doubted that they "are powerful and valuable and deserving of every chance in the world."
The Women's March on Washington is a grassroots movement occurring on January 21st, 2017, the day after Trump's inauguration. For more information please visit: http://www.womensmarch.com.
