Why Women’s Marches Were Exactly What We Needed

Why Women’s Marches Were Exactly What We Needed

With massive, safe protests worldwide, women sent the message that we will not be silenced.

Things have been pretty rough for a lot of us since November 9th.

Not only was a Republican man elected president of the United States by the electoral college after losing the popular vote for the second time in 16 years, but we’ve had to contend with resident racists, misogynists, xenophobes and homophobes coming out of the woodwork, now that they feel as though they have a legitimate voice again.

We’ve been depressed, binge eating and unable to watch the news because for so many of us, seeing that giant, bloated orange face is triggering.

But that started to change yesterday. The Women’s March – not just in D.C. but on all seven continents – was a turning point, finally giving us some hope. The new president’s election left so many of us scared and feeling isolated, as if no one would look out for our interests (you know, like health care and other basic human rights) after President Obama left office.

Yesterday, it was clear: we are looking out for each other. We are watching. Even though we face a president and cabinet with a clear agenda that deliberately excludes a large part of America, we know that are not alone and we will not be silent.

There were no arrests at any of the marches worldwide. None. I’m not saying that we’d live in a perfect world if women were in charge, but let the record reflect that we can get shit done on a massive scale both safely and efficiently.

At one point during the speeches, I heard someone behind me ask someone else if they needed to get through. I turned around and saw an older woman weave her way through the crowd, as people backed away and let her pass as soon as they saw her.

“You can tell this is a women’s march,” she yelled to us over her shoulder. “I didn’t even have to ask to come through – you all made room for me on your own!”

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