Regardless of where you fall in the political spectrum, it is definitely safe to say that we are a divided America. In recent years, we have witnessed some of the most horrific events happening to our civilians whether it be matters of race, gender, sexuality, religion, gun violence, and in some ways, the coverage of this past year’s election. We live in a strongly polemical society filled with even more hostility and dissension than before.
So, where did we go wrong?
It would take an entire lifetime or many lifetimes that to explain our faults, but that would be regressive. It is time to think progressively. As mentioned in former President Obama’s farewell speech, “Yes we did, and yes we can.” Hopefully this mantra can help us transition into our lives moving forward. Fortunately, it has made its stride with the nationwide “Women’s March” that took place this past Saturday.
A day after this year’s presidential inauguration, thousands of people congregated and peacefully protested for one thing only: equality. While this worldwide event exhibited a higher female representation, it is important to understand that this was a rally to promote support for equality. Harnessing a sense of love, sincerity, and hope will lead us towards the progression we need as a nation.
As stated in the Women’s March organization, the goal of this mission was to recognize the vibrancy of the country while also protesting some of the issues attributed to the people. According to the Washington Post, most of the issues were centralized on reproductive rights, equal pay, affordable care act, and the action taken towards climate change. While the entire day was full of empowerment, some other people felt differently about this movement.
USA Today covered a story about a woman, Angela Peoples, who held a uniquely different sign the usual topics stated in the Washington Post description. The sign read, “Don’t forget: white women voted for Trump.” While this would strike some controversy, Peoples’s intention was to further open the minds of the public and recognize some of the true roots of the problem. Similarly, one New York Times article critiqued how the Women’s March mainly protested “privileged” issues. There is no proper way to progress until the true central issues are dealt with. Instead of dismissing the reality of the turnout of the recent election, it is important to understand how and why we got here and what we can do differently moving forward. If these central problems in our society are dealt with, perhaps some of those “privileged” problems will dissipate over time. As Peoples discusses so honestly in this interview, “Do not normalize xenophobia, do not normalize anti-blackness, do not normalize transphobia. Take a step back and analyze why it's there."
Forward.
This is the path we should all take, since time is the only continuous entity in our lives. What we decide to do with this time is up to us. If you look at the bigger picture, this is the start of a new revolution and a new movement. No amount anger and rallying will rectify issues unless we take action and be considerate of those around us.
I can see what there is to come, and with hope, anything is possible.
