The Next Wave of Activism
What started as an expression of anger after Hillary Clinton’s defeat organically grew into something bigger than just one election. The Women’s March was a collective expression of people’s concerns about what a Donald Trump presidency stands for (and against).
It gave me hope, not just because millions of women and men showed up around the globe, but because protestor were not solely demonstrating feminist causes, they were fighting for human causes that went beyond political parties. Signs carried voiced concerns about civil rights,
equality, freedom of religion, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and immigration reform.
My friend Deirdre Ryan went to the Women’s March in DC on Saturday and took some amazing pictures. These are from the first leg of the trip, taking the bus from New Jersey to Maryland,
the Metro to D.C.
and walking towards the march.
You can check out all the pictures from her first blog post here, with lots more pictures to follow on her blog: DeirdreRyanPhotography: Women’s March Part I
While the march was beyond a successful event, the real success will be seeing if this energy will turn into long-term results. It’s easy for people to get distracted.
For example, I’ve seen people on social media arguing over what Melania Trump wore to the inauguration ball. Um…who cares? She’s a super model and looked great. I don’t care how high the seam in her dress was cut, but I do care that my healthcare is going to get cut because I have pre-existing conditions and am one of the 20 million people who uses Obamacare since I’m self-employed.
The thing that really energizes me though, was not just witnessing a moment in history but finding an actionable game plan on their website to follow to achieve results as seen here: 10 Actions 100 Days
It answers the question, “I marched, now what?” The first action is to write to your senators about what’s important to you. Share it on social media and then take the next action 10 days later.
I’d also like to note that this shouldn’t just be something done by Progressive Democrats. I have Republican friends and family who voted for Trump for his economic policies and didn’t like all the racist, sexist, xenophobic stuff he spewed. Since that is the case, I’d encourage you to also write to your senators and tell them just that.
Lisa 🙂
P.S. – Thanks for taking all those pictures Deirdre!
Lisa Traugott is a Mom’s Choice Award winning writer, fitness blogger, wife and mom of two….and Original Cast Member of AMERICAN GRIT, starring John Cena, on FOX!!!
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