When my friend messaged me and asked me if I would be willing to speak at a rally in downtown Wooster on behalf of the college's Planned Parenthood affiliate student group (VOX) I said yes, pretty hesitantly. I didn't really know what to say and I was nervous that what I did say wouldn't be met with support or would come out the wrong way. However, when I thought about it I realized that I had been given the opportunity to have a voice. I had the opportunity to provide a message to my community. While I was still nervous, I also understood that this was an important chance for me to be an active member of my community.

See, I've always had a hard time stepping off the sidelines and actually getting into the action. I've always admired people that protest and stand up for what they believe in but I've always found a convenient excuse not to participate myself. The 2016 election was a huge wake up call for me. The election made me realize that it was no longer enough for me to be aware of injustice. It was no longer enough to just be educated. I realized that I need to be an active member of the community. I need to participate and stand up to injustice at every given opportunity. Especially coming from a place of relative privilege I realized that I have so much less at stake than others and that I really had no excuse not to be actively standing up for what I believe in and educating those around me, and educating myself.

Today, I got the opportunity to do just that. I got the opportunity to have a voice and stand up for my ideals. While it felt good to be supported and be able to share a message of peace and tolerance with my community I'd like to share the same message with you that I was trying to convey to them tonight. It is not enough to speak out when you are in a room of like minded people. It is not enough to educate yourself. Remember that if you are not actively taking part in standing up to injustice than you are part of that injustice. Remember that the easy thing to do is to watch from the sidelines and let someone else do the hard work. Standing up for what you believe in is hard. Especially when you are interacting with people close to you. I know holding your ground and doing your best to educate others is the hard thing to do but it is the right thing to do. I understand that not everyone is in the position to protest but there is still plenty to be done. Speak out and speak up. Don't sit on the sidelines and just hope that injustice goes away. Intervene when you see an injustice being done. Speak up when someone around you says something that doesn't sit well with you. Educate not only yourself but those around you.