Last Saturday I proudly participated in the Women's March on Washington in Portland, OR. It was raining and cold, as per usual in Oregon, but I hardly noticed when I stepped out into the street with 100,000 other protestors. Women, men, children and dogs, Hispanic, African American, White...there was someone from every ethnicity and it felt amazing to be surrounded by such diversity. Leading up to the March I was slightly nervous and almost skeptical for how it might play out. But I can honestly say from the moment I began cheering and chanting to the moment my sign got too wet to holdup anymore, it was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.
The past two months have been difficult for me as I juggled between trying to stay up to date on political news and also trying to avoid it all together. After the Election I felt lost and defeated and was unsure of how to react or how to help. It has been hard for me to put my feelings into words but I believe what I am feeling is sadness. Not the kind of sadness you feel after the restaurant is closed you wanted to eat at, or a movie isn't playing you wanted to see. I'm talking about the kind of sadness in which you up each morning only to remember it isn't a just a bad dream. This is the kind of sadness that doesn't disappear overnight. This feeling only worsened with time as the reality of the Inauguration drew near.
I am a strong believer in moving forward and it is so hard for me to sit back and feel as though we are moving back in time instead of leaping forward. Not only am I sad about the current situation, but I feel as though we have failed those before us who fought so hard for the rights we now have. And so, I decided to march, for those who have not been granted their rights yet and for those who might have their rights taken away. It felt exhilarating and freeing, and it was something different than I had ever experienced. I felt bigger than myself and felt as though I was in some, tiny way, helping to make a difference.
I would like to point out that there have been many contradicting responses to the Women's March and I would respectfully like to explain why I believe the Women's March was a positive, successful protest. Some are bluntly wondering why the protest was necessary, and how it possibly helped to begin the process of restoring and creating equality among all. The answer is simple: To fight the normalization of racism. To fight the normalization of refused rights for women. To fight the normalization of minimal gun control. To fight the normalization of taking advantage of, or mocking the disabled. To fight the normalization of anti-gay comments and attacks. Of course we didn't believe the Women's March would fix all the problems and convince Trump of changing his mind. The march was about letting the world know We Will Not Allow This Hate And Discrimination To Become Normal.
And so, I confidently believe the Women's March was a huge success. Millions of people from all over the globe showed their support and stated that they will not allow this to continue. The protests will continue, the resistance will continue. The March was just the beginning to an opposition that will not give up its rights quickly or easily.
