Day 91

     First and foremost, I marched for her.

My "life changer"

     Something about having a daughter changed things for me. I consider myself a feminist, but for a long time I allowed myself to fall into the societal "norms". I didn't speak up enough against misogynistic comments. I didn't challenge the barriers that were put in my way throughout schooling- off handed comments that demeaned my intellect and questioned my achievements. I accepted that this is how things were and that I would have been labeled a bitch if I complained.

     Now that I am raising a daughter, I think about the things I put up with and I could never forgive myself if I didn't fight for her.

     Donald Trump terrifies me. I look at him and hear the teacher who told me I would never be successful in math, despite my outstanding grades. I see the men- yes MEN- who groped me in bars and said it was ok because they were older and married. I see the car salesman who would only shake hands with and address my husband. The man who pulled up alongside of me during a run and told me "nice view". This isn't ok. It wasn't ok then, and i sure as hell don't want it for my daughter.

     The treatment of the women in his life concerns me. The audio tapes concern me. The lawsuits concern me. The complete disconnect from the experience of the average American woman concerns me. Yet our country has said, "it's ok, just give him a chance". Honestly, what does he have to do for people to say, you know what, maybe this isn't acceptable. If our society says it's fine for our leader to be so blatantly offensive and out of touch with 51% of our country, than what does that say about our culture? Our leader sets the tone for our government and thus our nation. This is the man who now represents our country? The face of America?

I cannot, in good conscious, condone him, and so I protest.

Day 90

     There have been lots of questions this past week about the purpose behind the Woman's March on Washington. The mission behind the march can be found here. As a participant in one of the sister marches, I'm going to spend the next few posts discussing the personal reasons for which I attended. These include concerns about the rights of immigrants, members of the LGBTQIA community, persons with disabilities, and those trapped in poverty.

   Starting her young

     I marched because I wanted to be engaged. This was a stepping stone from frustrated observer to an actively involved citizen. I don't want to sit back and watch what happens as rights are stripped away, and essential programs are defunded. I chose to speak up. This is not a case of "whining because my side lost", an argument I've heard frequently. Quite the contrary, I'd like to think we are all on the side of humanity and I just cannot stand by without speaking up as I watch our government leaders make decisions with which I do not agree.

    

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” 

― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax