When I say women's lives, you say?
MATTER
Women’s Lives
MATTER
Women’s Lives
MATTER
Black Lives…,
Trans Lives…,
Immigrant Lives…,
Queer Lives…,
Civil Rights…
MATTER
These are the sounds of protestors, an army of women and children and feminists who marched through cities across the world on January 21st, the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration as the forty-fifth president of the United States. They marched out of anger and fear and love. They marched to protect and celebrate, as well as to fight policies and comments made by the President himself, which they felt personally insulted and endangered their values. These values ranged from clean energy to equality to reproductive rights. The people were as diverse as their views. In Atlanta, I was struck by the attendance of women in wheelchairs and young girls who rode the shoulders of their parents all the way to the capital.
The little girl featured in the cover photo’s name is Madeline Allen. She is riding her father Jordan Allen’s shoulders, and they are walking with a woman and a baby. All four of them have red hair, but Madeline’s is especially flaming and tied in two ponytails with pink, sparkly ribbons.
Madeline alternatively holds a sign that reads,
ENERGY FROM (Sun, Wind, Water) ARE THE BEST FOR OUR FUTURE
And a sign that reads,
THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE.
Someone in her family must have realized that this march is for her.
What a privilege it was to be one of the horde that day, all smiles and cheering. We cheered for democracy, we cheered for the people, and we cheered for the police officers protecting our demonstration as we passed their blockade. The world had so much pride on the twenty sixth. In Atlanta, there was especial support for John Lewis, our star speaker, and the district he represents, district five, which Donald recently tweeted about:
"Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!"
The people of District Five had much fun representing their homes and refuting that claim. Take a gander at #protectthefifth if you’re curious.
There were signs shaped like vaginas and declaring the rights of their pussies. There were umbrellas decorated like signs (it had been storming all day). There were images of Wonder Woman and Trump, signs made by and for Planned Parenthood, and the march logo.
Some of the signs read:
“ACHIEVING OUR FULL SELVES BY FULLY EMBRACING EACH OTHER”
“fox NEWS=DEATH OF DEMOCRACY”
“nasty women RISE UP!”
“MAKE AMERICA THINK AGAIN”
“RESIST Do Not COMPLY”
“My Body My Choice #prochoice”
“When She Talks I Hear the Revolution”
“Pussy Grabs Back”
“Your silence will not protect you”
and
“Marching for my granddaughters”
Not of the signs were free of malice or grammar errors, and some of them I could not understand, but all of them pushed for change, for a more accepting, loving, energy-efficient world. All of them spoke of the basic desire to be accepted and promoted the acceptance of neighbors, friends, co-workers, family members, and the voiceless.
One sign that particularly hit me read:
“Girl Scouts against Trump.”
It was held by a little girl headed home from the MARTA station, dressed in her GirlScout Brownie uniform and a t-shirt advertising the Wear Out the Silence campaign, a movement that encourages white people to wear a #BlackLivesMatter t-shirt every Friday.
This little girl was one of an estimated 60,000 people who marched in Atlanta. An estimated 2.9 million people marched in the U.S. alone, making it the biggest one-day-march in U.S. history.
I can hope you were one of them. I hope you joined in the cheering and the smiling and the marching, because it was beautiful. It was a movement of hope and joy in the face of inequality and suppression, and it perpetuated a feeling of hope in the lives and experiences of millions all over the world, a hope that will not fade.
I want you to feel it too.
Tell me what democracy looks like?
This is what democracy looks like!
It is our duty to fight for our freedom;
It is our duty to win.
We must love each other and support each other;
We have nothing to lose, but our chains.
The fight for human rights did not end with an election, it began with one. The electoral college may have spoken, but the people are not finished. It does not matter who you are; it does not matter what you represent: equality is a good thing. Equality creates common space for people to relate and connect to one another. Only once the game is played on a level playing field will all the players truly see one another. THAT is what we are fighting, marching for. This revolution started on the twenty-sixth, but it continues with you. Stand up for your neighbors; fight for your friends. We are only as strong as the love between us. A voice is so much stronger in unison, but we will only unite our divided country by having difficult conversations in support of the people we love.
Love, not hate, will make America great!
The official mission statement for the Women’s March on Washington is as follows:
"We 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."
Be a part of something. Be a part of this. Be a part of us.
Set a fire.
