I'm writing this to you today while it's still fresh in my mind, but something tells me I will never forget what happened to me today. One day I hope to read this letter to you when you can fully understand.
Today, on January 21st, 2017 I participated in a Woman's March. I never did anything like this before but I felt it was something I needed to do, not only for myself, but for you my beautiful baby girl. My hope through marching in Washington D.C. was to one day tell you I marched for you, for your rights as a woman in America, for your friends and for your children some day. I marched because I believe we have come a long way with woman's rights but we can do SO much better. Starting with how we speak about woman and how we treat woman.
Let me start from the very beginning on how I got there. A few weeks prior to the march a friend of mine posted a link for the Woman's Movement. I was immediately intrigued because I had been looking for ways to peacefully protest regarding social justices and woman's rights. I responded to my friends invitation to participate and I said I wanted to join. But secretly inside I wondered if this was one of those empty accepted invitations where I wouldn't follow through. But my friend eventually bought me a bus ticket so I was officially going. Last week I received an e-mail from the Woman's March group giving us some tips about what to do if violence or rioting would take place. We were advised to bring scarves and hats to protect our eyes from tear gas. We were advised to write our ICE name and number on our arms in the event of an injury or arrest. I started to get very scared. I was told this was going to be a peaceful protest. I started to let my fears get the best of me. I was ready to back out. But luckily my pushy friends said I couldn't :) And I am SO glad I listened to them.
Today I encountered a LARGE group (3 million world wide to be exact) of woman and men who felt the same way I did. They too wanted to march for our future generations. Thousands and thousands of people gathered regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or age, to say I'm not OK with the direction this country is going for woman and the under privileged. I stood shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers but I never felt so at home. There were children, college students, parents, professionals, hippies, young and old all marching hand in hand to let their voices be heard. I'm happy to report to you that this was in fact a VERY peaceful protest. There was not one person arrested in the whole group of people.
We took notice many people were there for different reasons. But we were all in support of each other's presence. I was there, as my sign read, because "i'm completely Pro-life." I could take the time to explain this in my own words but I found someone who articulated it very well.
"I am pro life.
That means that I'm also pro social justice.
That means that I am not only for the dignity of the human being from the moment of conception, but also for the dignity of the human being until the natural end of life. For life does not end with birth. A person who is truly pro life is pro all life, pro every stage of life, pro every stage of life for every person. For all life is sacred, because all life is created by God.
That means that I support anything that helps a person live a full, healthy and satisfying life, in every part of the world. So I am for care for the poor, for a living wage, for affordable health care, for adequate housing, for a humane work environment, for equal pay for women, for generous child care, for the support of the aged and the infirm.
That means I support caring for the marginalized among us: the refugee, the migrant, the displaced person, the homeless, the unemployed, the person with disabilities, the single mother, women who are abused, minorities of every kind who are persecuted, and all those who feel left out, mocked, lonely, ignored or frightened.
That means that I am against torture, because it is an affront to human dignity. I am against the death penalty, the most serious affront to an adult life. I am against abuse and mistreatment in prisons. I am against war as a way to solve problems.
That means I respect the lives of all creatures, and am therefore for the care of the world in which we live, for the environment in the broadest sense.
That means I am pro peace, pro justice and pro reconciliation." Fr. James Martin
So that is why I marched. My life, as a upper middle class white woman, might not significantly change dependent upon who the president is but I have bothers and sisters who lives may be be forever changed by who sits in that oval office. I wanted to make sure our government heard our cries. Something tells me they did. Even if nothing changes because of this movement it certainly brought many strangers together for a common cause. Ecclesiastes 4:12 reads "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." I'm glad these people stood in solidarity with me. I felt stronger than ever.
I could go on and on about this march and how it changed my life but it could take hours. So here are some highlights from my trip. The most beautiful part of my day was experiencing a sisterhood of woman coming from almost every state in the country. A sisterhood I hope can continue into your generation. I met some of the greatest woman in the few short hours I spent there. I sat on the bus with a lovely lady Nancy who was 63 years old. Nancy was a seasoned pro at this whole marching thing. She actually participated in the march against the Vietnam war in 1969. She shared with me, she drove in the back of a UHAUL truck from Michigan to Washington D.C. with 20 other people. Now that's dedication. I feel bad about complaining about the porta potty situation now :) I also met Sylvia. Sylvia and I talked about a lot of things but we connected on our adoption stories. She has an adopted daughter who is now 18 and she shared her adoption journey with me. While walking to and from the buses we met crowds of woman who laughed, sang and chanted together. The energy was contagious.
We all wore pink "pussy" hats in solidarity (i'll explain when your older). It was a sea of pink everywhere. I think there may be a shortage of pink yarn for years! I think one of the highlights of my day was the constant support and love I received from people back home. When I would turn on my phone I would have several messages from good friends asking me if I was safe and telling me they were praying for me. Some of them didn't agree with the movement but they loved me anyways. At the end of the day on the way home, I was excited to call Grandan and Mammaw to share my amazing stories with them. At the end of the conversation Mammaw said "I'm proud of you." It was then I knew God blessed me with the coolest most supportive parents.
And in a round about way I write this to you today to let you know I love so much! Cali you are a beautiful girl who will one day grow into a beautiful woman. I pray you feel you have the freedom to express yourself in any way you feel lead to with out push back and hate. Stay strong. There will always be haters and negative people in the world. But you need to stand up for what you believe in. I want you to know I will love and accept you no matter what you chose to believe. If you're wondering what democracy looks like....THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.
Love always,
Mommy
