I was one of many who protested Trump's election after finding out the results of the November election. Protests and petitions popped up across the country that month. And we're still protesting his election!
Or are we?
The Women's March took place in Washington on Inauguration Day and Sister Marches popped up across the country. Scratch that, and make that THE WORLD. Which proves, contrary to popular belief, that the Women's March was not held to protest Trump's election.
The electoral college's votes have been cast. Trump is going to stay in office whether we like it or not. So the March and global Sister Marches were not held to protest that. Rather, they were held to "stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families -- recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country." Yes, that's a direct quote from the Women's March event page on Facebook. An article on Huffington Post described it as "a 'non-partisan' not explicitly 'anti-Trump' march.
These protests are about something much bigger than our new president. They're about the fight for women's equality, a fight that must still be fought in countries across the globe, including our own. That's why 370 Sister Marches took place on 6 continents last Saturday.
Often, marginalized groups learn to live with a certain amount of discrimination, especially after a big goal is achieved. Gaining the right to vote, or joining the work force suddenly makes the prejudice we still face feel smaller. Women have continued taking strides towards equal rights over the past hundred years, just not through huge marches or conventions. Until now.
Because now we feel a direct threat to all the progress we have worked so hard to make. The election of Donald Trump, a man who speaks a dehumanizing message, is a direct threat to all the progress we have worked so hard to make.
Feminism is not an outdated movement. It has been and is important and necessary, now more than it has been in a long time.
At the time I'm writing this I have not yet attended the Sister Women's March in my area. But I will. I've already made signs. The Winter weather of the North East does not intimidate me because standing up for my, and every human being's rights, is a no-brainer.
I march because I can't spend an afternoon in the city without getting harassed through repeated cat-calling.
I march because of all the times someone has come up to me AT WORK and asked me if "I need a boyfriend" then refused to take no for an answer.
I march because my brother doesn't believe that payment inequality exists.
I march because it's my body and my choice.
I march because I've felt objectified in some way in the majority of the relationships I've been in.
I march because I won't stand to see this situation worsen.
Girls, we've come a long way, but we still have so far to go. Now is not the time to take 2 steps back. The way to keep this from happening is to come together, stand up, and speak up. If you didn't attend a march on Saturday, attend the next one. There's sure to be more.
And remember that it's not only women's rights we're fighting for. I've already seen vigils and smaller protests for other marginalized groups pop up in my area, and these are sure to grow. Though the Women's Marches were largely for women's rights, we all also marched in solidarity with every other marginalized group.
People are seeing their rights threatened and they are acting. It is through action that we will maintain the progress we've made, and keep moving forward. Just because our president may have encouraged prejudice, and probably even holds some himself, doesn't mean we need to submit to it.
Take action, and together we can keep America as great as it always has been.
