Opinion

Women’s March on Washington reaffirms importance of protest

By Maude Wilson ’17

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This past Saturday, millions of women around the world took to the streets to protest the campaign strategy of recently inaugurated President Trump, and to proclaim their disagreement with his statements and actions. Those who know me were not surprised to hear that I had joined those protests. I know that the March was, and is, divisive and I witnessed firsthand some of the overwhelming whiteness and trans-exclusionary behavior that’s been discussed in the days following the March. I also know that I am not nearly well-versed enough on these issues to write insightfully about them, so I will leave that task to someone who is (and I look forward to reading their thoughts!). Instead, I want to explore the purpose of activism.
    I did not travel to our nation’s capital because I expected a man I disagree with on almost everything to suddenly change his opinions. I know there are those who felt that the March was pointless, and perhaps that’s because they assumed I expected one rally to generate substantive change within an incredibly backwards administration. I did not.
    In a lot of ways, my experience at the March was similar to my experience in the ‘Hamilton bubble.’ Being a liberal, even a radical one, on this campus is not a particularly subversive act. You are constantly surrounded by people who, at least to an extent, agree with you. When you post a contentious political Facebook post, it is with the knowledge that the beliefs of those who will read it largely mirror your own. Even so, I believe that there is intrinsic value in publicly asserting your beliefs. Similarly, I found intrinsic value in marching alongside hundreds of thousands of people that I knew felt the same way I did. I stood beside them as Gloria Steinem passed along a message from a German friend, saying, “We in Berlin know that walls don’t work.” I cried with them as Eric Garner’s mother took the stage wearing a t-shirt that had the words “I can’t breathe” splashed across the front. I reflected on the long history of women’s rights protests when I walked by a woman who needed neither words nor poster to get her message across: she was simply brandishing a coat hanger.
    My experiences reminded me that, while I come from a place where feminism is not a radical act, there were many there who did not. There were many there who were protesting for the first time, or who did not have the luxury of taking feminist theory or gender studies classes at a school like Hamilton. I wish that all the women who marched on Saturday had been equally as inspired by the Black Lives Matter or  DAPL movements, but I hope hearing the words of speakers like Angela Davis and listening to Alicia Keys recite Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” reminded them that all of our futures are inextricably intertwined. I try to practice activism in a way that is intersectional and inclusive, but the March (in spite of its whitewashing, or perhaps because of it) reminded me that there is always room to do more and to know more. For me, that is part of the purpose of activism: to surround yourself with people who know more than you do in the hopes that you will walk away better than you were when you arrived.
    There are critics who accused the protestors of being “sore losers.” The purpose of the March was not to complain about the results of the election. While I certainly wish things had gone differently, I accept the fact that Trump won the election and now he is the President. However, I also accept the fact that political activism is not relegated simply to voting. I went to Washington to exercise a right to protest that is constitutionally protected. I went to hear the thoughts of fellow activists about the actions we can all take to ensure that right, and others like it, will still exist at the end of Trump’s presidency. I went because those in power have never given that power up of their own free will, and there is no reason to suggest they will start doing so now. I would encourage those who question that statement to recognize why anyone who is not a property-owning white man can vote in this country, or why your high school was not segregated. Complacency is the enemy of progress, and I strongly feel that allowing Trump to govern this nation however he pleases simply because he won the necessary electoral college votes to take office is an act of complacency.
    Even if you missed the Women’s March last Saturday, you have not missed your opporunity to act. If you did attend and now think there are no actions left to take, please know that is also not true. There is always time to act, even if just in a small way. Michael Moore, a famed documentary filmmaker, recommends calling your senators every single day. Text “daily” to 228466, and a service will provide daily suggestions about politicians to call and issues to speak with them about. If you are passionate about an issue or organization, it is never too late to donate or volunteer. Organizations like the ACLU, the NAACP, Planned Parenthood and Lamda Legal are always in need. Activism need not mean driving six hours to march down Independence Avenue. You can do it from your couch!

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