WOC MARCHING
Unless you are fully off of all social media and don't watch tv, listen to the radio or talk to any human... then you were aware that this weekend was charged with the energy brought forth by the Women's March (which happened all over the country and world). Here at TGM we take pride in knowing that our team, made up of different WOC, is also rich in diverse opinions. And so we wanted to share with you our experience with the Women's March and hopefully inspire you to share yours. Here we go:
Gynai (NYC):
I wanted to attend the march, but sadly I was at work. However, I cheered on the women who walked through my job with their signs heading to the march which was a beautiful thing to see. I also had a small debate with men at my job on why the march was important and why we are fighting. (major eye roll for even having to debate this, but...masculinity)
Dee (NYC):
I attended the women's march to be in the moment and to capture the moment. I wanted to see the unity around the disgust and hatred for our current president. I'm not the best with words but I know my photos speak volumes and as the years go by I can look back and say "yes kids, we did that". I might not share the same values with everyone who marched, but I do know that these next four or however many years we will not be voiceless.
Frankie (NYC):
The Women's March was my first protest and I am so happy that this was my first experience with activism. I never got to attend the 99% or Black Lives Matter protests when they were happening. Part of the reason why I never went was because I did not want to fuel the anger in me. While police brutality, racial discrimination, gentrification and cultural appropriation are things that loosely and directly affect my life - and I truly respect the BLM movement - I feel a much deeper connection towards The Women's Liberation movement.
The march was so peaceful, so powerful and so inspiring, I attended with my mother and we had such a great time making our glittery and feminist inspired picket-signs. We marched with about 500,000 people in NYC and I felt so connected to each and every person. The diversity and positivity was overwhelming. I saw young girls, elderly women, people in wheelchairs, men of all races and ages, sikhs, muslims, black women, Latinas, white women, asian women and everything in between.
We chanted in English, we chanted in Spanish - we chanted for the LGBTQ community, for the black community, for Planned Parenthood, for immigrants and for the removal of Prez Cheeto. With love in our hearts and a fire in our souls - we marched for over 3 hours. We yelled we cried, we laughed, we smiled and we marched with a fever and passion that is a tell-tale sign of the revolution.
I am so honored, proud and blessed to have walked in solidarity with over 2.9 million people worldwide for a cause that is so near and dear to me! I was especially proud to know that 3 members of our team were @ Women's Marches all over the country - we really did get in Formation!
Chardae (Houston):
I was so happy to see all of the crowds gather for the Women's March this past Saturday. It definitely made me a little regretful that I did not participate.
When I first heard about the Women's March, it was via social media and a few friends. It was first presented to me as not being for women of color and as not being a marchfor intersectional feminism. This immediately turned me off to the idea of a women's march. A couple of weeks ago, i was talking to another friend and she mentioned that the march was not started for that but was inclusive of all. I started researching and began to feel really inspired/motivated to get out there and do something. I ended up having to work, and could not get off but I would have loved to participate in the march here in Houston. I know if I still lived in NYC I would have rented a car and driven down to D.C. with my other girlfriends to be a part of history.
It was super inspiring to see women from all over gather together, but a part of me is still feeling a little jaded about white women and their role in electing this president. I hope they continue to be a part of the resistance conversation in a real way, and this not become another post election ridiculoussafety pin thing where they feel as if they did their part by showing empathy for a moment.
It's going to take a lot for us to make change, but I'm really hopeful after seeing everyone come out on Saturday. This definitely has motivated me to do my part to show that not all of Texas is filled with backwards, self hating, conservative women. The liberal pockets are large and I want to be able to be a part of organizing women here in the South to push for change.
Sidney (San Diego - TGM reader):
It was my first march/protest ever and the energy is something I will never forget. Growing up extremely liberal in a conservative Christian family/county I have never felt like I fit in. But today I belonged. Today, I wasn't alone in feeling like the election had been stolen from not just one, but two of the candidates I voted for (Bernie in the primary, Hillary in the presidential). Today wasn't just about being a woman, or being Latina, today was about unity and it was electric.
Sasha (DC):
I'm not usually one to run out for every march or protest. I feel there are always "enough" people out there to speak up for the right things. But after not voting this election, and feeling a slight tinge (or more like a towering feeling) of blame for this election's outcome, I felt it a moral obligation to go out and march for my sisters and brothers.
There were issues within our community of the march being "fluff" and just white women, etc. On the bus on my way down we were riding through Delaware when I looked through the front window and through all the fog and mist, there were just droves of buses as far as the eye could see. Like a military brigade heading into battle.
I ended up going with a random group of women from an event and design firm. The girls on the bus seemed really cool and open (all white and one Hawaiian). My friend, Shyvonne — an activist, singer, and teacher —sent me a really good article that made me take a good, firm look at myself before I stepped off that bus.
This was not to be looked at as a destination. I was not going to step off the bus and have "done something". This was merely the first demonstration of hundreds that will need to continue in order to show our resistance. Once there, it was incredible — EVERYONE showed up. Men, Women, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Disabled, LGBTQIA, etc. It was magnificent, it was intersectional AF, it felt like freedom.
This march was more than its organizers, it became our march, the people's march. White women had signs saying that Black Lives Mattered (some had this written on their faces in Sharpie). Now they see their power in numbers, and realizing their vote for Hillary — no matter how much they disliked her — could have allowed for a step in a better direction. They showed up because they finally felt threatened, we've been in this fight for decades. I hope they saw and felt what unification feels like. And as the sign, I'm sure you've all seen, says:
Yari (LA):
I've always been for all this... the marches, the standing up for others, the calling out the BS. According to the week I was born in (Week of the Teacher - for those into astrology) it seems participating in civil liberties is something I can't escape... nor do I want to. So when I heard about the Women's March in November I knew that I'd be there someway some how.
I was extremely excited to get my march on and to be around other women who felt the same calling I've heard since I could remember. But then that feeling of excitement was internally questioned when I started to see WOC express their disdain for this march, as they felt it was all about white women, as they felt that white women haven't been there for us (as Lauryn Hill sang "where were you when I needed you?" - ex factor), as they felt they were tired and were not going to participate in a march that they had spiritually, mentally and emotionally been marching in for decades.
I talked to myself, saying "well what do you think of that?" and "will you be betraying your fellow WOC if you join?" - I talked this over with other girlfriends, including the women of TGM. And I came to this conclusion: you're always allowed to feel what you need to feel about a subject, and I'm always allowed to feel differently in return. I realized I'd be betraying myself if I didn't join in something I felt so strongly about because other women felt what they felt.
The truth is, YES white women fucked it up. The majority that came out to vote - voted for Trump. Which is not just hurtful as a fellow vagina having person, but also as a human with eyes and ears who heard and saw the crazy shit this man said day after day about everyone... I'm still surprised he didn't manage to insult himself in the process. And YES they should be absolutely reminded of that, I don't plan on letting them down that easy, because unless we have those conversations we're going to stay at point A and never reach point B. But I also recognize that a lot of them didn't vote for him, and therefor at the very least I'd like to have them as an ally. Trust must be built obvi, I'm not naive. But I'm not here to crucify every white girl I encounter, I'm not a historian but I do know there were white folk fighting for civil liberties in the 60s (s/o to my man Bernie).
And so I went to the Women's March in LA. With two of my gfs by my side (Jes and Danielle, both equally amazing and intelligent women) - it felt amazing to be out there. It felt equally as good to see the many faces of many people there - PARTICIPATING IN HUMANITY- from the palest of whites to the darkest of blacks, from babies still in the womb to old women in their scooters! Men too, all sorts. I mean, it was a feast for the soul. I think after all the crying I've done since Trump won and Obama leaving office, I needed a serious dose of humans caring about each other. Because care/love is the first step towards change. Cliche but so true. So so so so true. I'm happy I went and did what I felt was right for me. If you chose not to attend because you're just not ready or have decided to absolutely break ties from building with white women - I respect that, but I hope you respect those of us who choose a different route. We have enough going on to also have to cover ourselves from the stones of our sisters. Always in solidarity *fist emoji here*
ps - white women were out there, calling their fellow white women out on their sht, and that too, felt mighty good to see. #popthebubble
TGM plans to be an active voice in the years to come, so whenever you're ready, know that we're here for you. We look forward to being a part of the resistance.
(image post by Gayle Kabaker, photos by TGM members)
