Why I Was Marching Today in Spirit #womensmarch

I had another commitment today so I couldn't march.  But I was there in spirit. 

I think when you feel strongly about something, it is good to gather together with people who also feel that way, and make a statement.  From everything I saw reported, the marches were very positive, peaceful gatherings.  Everyone had their own reasons for marching.  That is what is great about this country, we can assemble and share what we believe.  My reasons for wanting to march are probably different from others, but that is okay.  Here is why I would have marched.

To me words that people speak are very important.  And there have been many words that have been shared by our current President regarding people that have really bothered me.  I would not be marching to be anti-Donald Trump.  But I would be marching to be there to show people who may not feel they have a voice against the words that have been publicly shared about them that I am in their corner.

I wouldn't necessarily do it for my rights.  I think as a citizen of the United State, legally I have all the rights I need, and am very grateful for them.  It would be more like the people who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. who constitutionally had the right to vote, but the local governments made them go through so many hoops and restrictions that some of them didn't get to exercise that right.

I would be marching for the women who have been looked at and treated by men as an object, as someone lesser than themselves.  I would be marching for the women who think the comments made by President Trump on that bus regarding the way he would treat women as no big deal, because that is how all the men she knows speak anyway.  That is not my experience.  In fact, I am blessed, because the men I am around the most are wonderful men who love and respect women.  But I know for others this is not the case.

I would be marching for the women, because of their circumstances, feel they have no voice because of the trauma they have received in their lives through physical, mental or sexual abuse.  For some women, this makes their voice stronger.  For others, though, their voice has been taken away.  I would be marching to help be that person's voice.

Globally, I would be marching for women who do not have the rights and freedoms I do here in America.  They are often in danger of their lives if they don't conform to the culture. 

I would march for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for their faith, and often times killed for that Christian faith.

I would march for the men and women who are currently being used in the sex trade, and see their life as a dead end of abuse after abuse.

I would march because of the beautiful words of Micah 6:8 that says: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

If you think this whole march was a bunch of nonsense, and a waste of time, I respect that opinion.  I may not agree with you, but I do respect that you feel that way.  All I ask is that you give me the same respect.

I want to thank all the people I know that marched in different places around the world today.  I may miss some, but here are the ones I know:

Susan, Lauren, Nancy, Kellie, Diane--Spokane, Washington
Janet, Nicole--New York City, New York
Adrienne and Sue--Washington D.C.
Kellee and Megan--Boise
Trish--Park City, Utah
Chandra--Edinburgh, Scotland
Terri and Bev--Moscow, Idaho
Callie--:Little Rock, Arkansas
Gerri--Wenatchee, Washington

My friend Beverly Wolfe wrote this poem and shared it at the Women's March in Moscow yesterday, telling the story of why she marched.  Thank you for these words....they are beautiful.

Why I March

"They ask me, “Why do you march? What are you so against?”
And I answer, “I do not march against. I march for!”
I march for my sisters around the world. 
I reach out and hold hands and we circle the globe.
I march to make public my promise. 
I will pay attention. 
I will be vigilant.
I will speak out.
I march for Human Rights. 
I will speak out when human rights are being given to some and denied to others. 
I march for the environment. 
I will speak out when I hear climate change being denied, 
or the lands belonging to ‘we, the people’ are being sold to the highest bidder
I march as an immigrant, to remind myself and those around that I, too, am part of ‘we, the people’
As immigrants, we arrive with our baggage, 
But also our talents, our hard work and our dreams.
I march as a woman, who cares for young children,
And for my sister, who cares for the elderly
That our vital work may gain the respect it deserves.
I march for peace, for in every war-ravaged place, 
women still labor to bring forth new life.
I speak because I can not be silenced.
I can not stay still, and so I march."--Beverley Wolff