“A house divided can not stand” - Abraham Lincoln
As you all may know, The Woman's March on Washington was perhaps one of our country’s most monumental events of the century.
An article titled, “Women in Viral Photo From Women’s March to White Female Allies: “Listen to A Black Women” written by Brooke Obie for The Root, became viral last week. Her article included an interview with the woman who created the infamous sign known as Angela Peoples.
The interviewer asked Angela a multitude of questions on why she originally decided to make the controversial sign.
Angela’s main point for her sign was to address the issue on the lack of Black women participating in Women’s marches and the remaining social, political and economical injustice that still remains in black communities:
She tells The Root, “That’s why the photo was such a great moment to capture, because it tells the story of white women in this moment wanting to just show up in a very superficial way and not wanting to do the hard work of making change, of challenging their own privilege. You're here protesting, but don't forget: the folks that you live with every single day— and probably some of the women that decided to come to the march— voted for Trump, made the decision to vote against self-interests to maintain their white supremacist way of life.” (Angela Peoples)
Angela, while I believe you have every right to express your pain and opinions, I do not believe in your ways of addressing an issue. As a Hispanic-American, I too can feel the weight of being labeled as a minority in this country, but I can not agree with your choice in mocking others as a way for you to advocate for your agenda.
Yes, in the photo you can clearly see three white women taking photos as a way to remember the moments, but have you considered the amount of women that day—white, black and brown—that have also taken photos? As a memorable event in our country’s history it is understandable that any type of person despite their color of skin would want to commemorate the event that they were able to partake in.
Secondly, I’d like to address how much I admire you. I admire you because you fight for a cause that not many are willing to participate in. I admire you for your persistence to make your cause known. And I admire you because you have called action to an issue than has been set so far aside that many people have forgotten you and your troubles.
This passion you express through your sign is the same passion that is found in the signs of the many women who participated in that march that day. Passion for an issue should only lead to perseverance and encouragement— not to the condemning of women you hardly know, or in fact a whole race of women. (also not every white woman voted for trump).
Although I admire your perseverance and consistency for the issues that effect your lifestyle the most, I cannot, however admire the way in which you choose to advocate your movement.
I believe signs like yours can set back the progress of both the Women's March and of the Black Community. Pointing fingers at an event that is meant to bring people of all backgrounds and colors together, is ironic and defeats the purpose of the movements. So Angela, I urge you to consider advocating your movement in a different way that does not condemn others. I urge you to spread more love and not more hate. I believe in your movement and I recognize that there are still injustices that face people of color.
As Abraham Lincoln had once said, “A house divided can not stand”. Women divided by color or status can not stand as one movement for equality. Until women can learn to acknowledge and praise each other for their differences, only then can we learn to stand together for greater future to come.
Obie, Brooke. "Woman in Viral Photo From Women's March to White Female Allies: 'Listen to a Black Woman'." The Root. Www.theroot.com, 23 Jan. 2017. Web. 29 Jan. 2017. <http://www.theroot.com/woman-in-viral-photo-from-women-s-march-to-white-female-1791524613>.
