Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Women’s March on Washington. Touted as the largest protest in American history, the Women’s March was attended by over 400,000 men and women from across the globe, with most converging in the US Capitol to voice their support for women’s rights. Despite the massive crowds in attendance, not a single arrest occurred during the march. The energy of the crowd was nothing but positive and uplifting, and chants of empowering slogans like "this is what democracy looks like" and "build bridges not walls" reverberated through the city. Being in the midst of such a historic event made me proud to be an American and even prouder to be a woman. I left the Capitol that day feeling energized and more ready than ever to affect change in my country.
However, when I got back to my room and began scrolling through social media, I was puzzled to find a barrage of negative comments directed towards the March and those in attendance. Acquaintances from high school decried the March as a “temper tantrum” and told protesters to “just get over” the fact that Trump was president. Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren yelled through the computer screen that all the “liberal snowflakes” who attended the March should “learn the art of the deal with it.” Some even went as far as calling the March “un-American.”
I’m sorry, what?
I couldn’t help but think that the many detractors of the Women’s March who loudly voiced their disapproval over social media were missing the point. At the end of the day, the reality is that approximately half of our nation does not want Donald Trump to be president. Whatever the reason for their disapproval happens to be, these people—half of our country’s population—did not vote for Donald Trump and will never support his policies. And when approximately half the United States' population feels as if their civil liberties are under attack by an unwanted administration, they have a constitutional right—even a civic duty—to make their voices heard.
Protest is not un-American; in fact, it is the very essence of American democracy. This basic right granted to us by our Constitution allows us to hold our government accountable for the policies they create. It allows us to voice our disapproval of legislation that we feel infringes upon our civil rights. Most importantly, it allows us to ensure that our nation retains a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
But attempting to silence activists and their Constitutional right to protest? That's what I would call un-American.
Think about it: where would the Civil Rights movement be today had it not been for the countless sit-ins, protests, and marches led by Civil Rights activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr.? Where would our nation be without Rosa Parks, the Freedom Riders, those who took part in protests like the Greensboro Sit-In?
In hindsight, these people are viewed as heroic; in their day, however, they were met with just as much if not more opposition than protesters in the twenty-first century. They were insulted, arrested, beaten, sprayed with fire hoses; their houses, churches and communities became the target of arson and vandalism; their families fell under attack by terror organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. They had every reason to give up.
But they didn’t.
They continued to demand their inalienable rights as American citizens and human beings. They continued taking to the streets and voicing their opinions, even if those opinions were deemed wrong by the majority. They continued protesting, marching, and organizing sit-ins. No matter what obstacles stood in their way, they continued to fight.
The same will be true for protesters in present day America. No matter how many people attempt to silence us, we will continue to hold the Trump administration accountable for its actions. We will continue to advocate for the protection of our civil rights. We will continue to make our voices heard.
The Women's March on Washington was not a "temper tantrum." It was not a convention of "snowflakes" throwing a fit because their candidate didn't win. And it was not un-American.
Instead, it was an astounding testament to democracy. The Women's March was a declaration that the American people will not take unfair and discriminatory policies sitting down.
We will never stop fighting. Because that is what democracy looks like.
