Me and my friend, Adriana Lovera, at the #nycwomensmarch |
That's
what I was afraid of. What could have been solely a civil rights march to send
a strong and clear message to the new administration about women's rights, had
now become a political march. My intention in going for this march was not to
protest the new President. I want to protest for rights that women are entitled
to. I march for free healthcare, equal pay, Medicaid-funded abortions (even
though I don't personally believe in abortions), paid family leave, immigration
reform, LGBTQ rights, climate change and ending mass incarceration.
|
Marcher holding a sign with the hashtag 'Not my president' |
While I
understand that the President's cabinet choice reeks of people who do not agree
with most or all of these rights, let’s pause to ponder. The American woman
didn't have access to equal pay or paid family leave even during the Obama
Administration. Why didn't we protest then too? Because President Obama agreed
and aligned with those rights? But in the face of the new Administration that
is blatantly denouncing these rights, we were given a wake-up call about how unjust
it is that women get paid less than men, among other issues.
Marcher in NY |
As an
advocate for social justice and social change, I had a hard time grappling with
what the march really meant. Even with the release of the "Unapologetically
Progressive Platform" by the Women's
March organizers there were differing viewpoints to #whywemarch. I spoke to my
sister-in-law, a staunch advocate of women's rights, to process all the
messages including the inauguration speech of the new President. And she made a
valid point; she said, "It’s crazy to even think this but maybe Trump's presidency
caused us to demand for a message with more conviction about women's rights
which a Hillary Administration might not have."
Because
the former presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, voiced those very rights in
her campaign, we would have been complacent in the pace of progress that would
have taken place. Again, think about it. If Mrs. Clinton became president,
would we be urgently marching for women's rights with such an unapologetically
progressive platform - which includes not only supporting access to safe and
legal abortions but demanding the right to publicly funded abortions?
As a
social worker working within the criminal justice system, I am only too
familiar with the systemic issues of mass incarceration, poverty, homelessness,
access to healthcare and welfare programs - issues which needed urgent reform
even under the Obama Administration.
My favorite! |
As for
myself, I march for all women of this country to demand what we have been
deprived of - inherent human rights.
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