“We’re All Still Here!”
I went to the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. (USA), on the one-year anniversary of the U.S. presidential inauguration. The march was on a Saturday, which is the Jewish Sabbath, and I went with two Jewish women. We are ages fifty-two, fifty-six, and sixty. As we marched, we talked about our lives as women of our generation and how being Jewish connects us to fighting for liberation.
I tend to be skeptical about the value of big marches, but I’d gotten motivated by the women who had written about marches on the e-mail discussion list for RC Community members.
I was glad I went, because there was an inspiring sense of movement-building at the march. The message was that women, and male allies, are not going to tolerate sexism, racism, anti-immigrant oppression, economic injustice, and so on, and that beyond ending destructive systems we are going to fight for a humane world.
One of my favorite moments was when everyone stopped in front of the White House and chanted, “We’re all still here! Welcome to your second year!” Even though the chant won’t change the president’s behavior, I think it was important for everyone to make that statement publicly and all together.
In solidarity,
Washington, D.C., USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders of women
(Present Time 191, April 2018)