Why I march

Today I saw a reminder of what America is, of what makes America beautiful. More than that, I was so powerfully moved to see the images of women (and men) around the world standing together in solidarity. This is about so much more than one man’s election.

Today I marched with women and men of all different backgrounds, religions, sexual orientations, ethnicities, races, nationalities as we stated with our words and our bodies that we will not quietly acquiesce as the new government in this country rolls back civil rights, undermines efforts to protect our environment, obstructs equality, pushes the poor and marginalized further to the edge.

Proud to walk with these #nastywomen and their #badhombres.
Picture courtesy Patri W., another outstanding nasty woman.

 Yesterday was a dark day. We witnessed a man take an oath of office who already has shown that he does not respect or intend to uphold the very Constitution that defines his office. We have seen him nominate individual after individual to direct government agencies who are fundamentally unqualified and intrinsically opposed to the very tasks that these agencies are supposed to fulfill. We saw the elite white straight male kleptocracy reassert its control of the levers of power in this country. 

But their control will come to an end. The face of America is not solely, or even predominantly, that of white, straight, conservatives. The face of America is women. It’s immigrants. It’s refugees. It’s Black people, Latinx people, Asian people, gays, lesbians, transgender and other non-conforming people. It’s the Native American peoples, who lived in this land long before white men expropriated it. It’s men who recognize that society will flourish only when all people have a voice and a place at the table. It’s people of faith from Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and, yes, Christian communities. And even those who ascribe to no faith at all.

Therein lies the power in today’s march. It wasn’t about a single agenda. It wasn’t about “taking back control” because most of us have not had access to power and control anyway. And it wasn’t about complaining or regretting that Hillary lost the electoral vote. It’s about saying that America’s greatness lies not in Trump’s warped vision, nor in the regressive policies of this Republican-dominated Congress, but in embracing the diversity of this great nation and working towards a society in which all have the opportunity to develop themselves as the people they are, in which the success or advancement of one group doesn’t have to come at the price of another.

• I marched today for transgender equality.
• I marched for women’s equality.
• I marched for our environment, because I want my children and generations beyond them to have a livable, sustainable world.
• I marched for immigrants, migrants and refugees, who add so much to our country.
• I marched for the right of people to marry the one they love.
• I marched for a society in which the color of one’s skin does not define one’s life options.
• I marched for the Native Americans, as they show us how to stand against corporate greed and environmental plunder.
• I marched for the differently abled, because their worth is just as great and their contribution to society just as valuable as mine.
• I marched because I believe in a message of love, inclusion, openness and possibility.

Allie and I at the rally.

As more than one speaker at today’s march in my city reminded us, today is only the beginning. We can’t pat ourselves on the back and go home to rest. (Well, maybe tonight we can as we rest our feet.) The struggle has only begun. I’m ready to go. I know who my allies are. Are you one of them?