Why I marched/WMOW/Women's March

OH MY LOVES...


I have just returned from the Women's March on Washington and I am fortified and broken hearted and healed and dejected and all of the other adjectives. What an amazing experience to be there, in DC, marching peacefully with hundreds of thousands of people who, like me, LOVE the USA and are concerned for the fate of our country and our freedoms and our democracy. Then, to come home and see the footage of people across the globe who share our concerns, who marched in solidarity and support of my millions of sisters and brothers and me. People who want to see every American and every should-be, or someday-American, sharing in the dream and the privilege that many Americans enjoy without reflection.

I marched with them, sharing in all of the love of freedom and democracy and most of all, LOVE OF COUNTRY, because I can. What a privilege to have the right to dissent! We, as Americans, are so very lucky and privileged to be allowed to have an opinion that differs from the ruling power. Remember the Tea Party protest, not of 1773, but September 2009? The Tea Party was protesting on the streets of Washington, just like I did on Saturday. How about the Right to Life Movement? They have protested on the streets of Washington, every January, since 1974, letting their voices be heard. Thank God they are, because it is their American right, just like it's mine. What about the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963? All of those many thousands of people making sure they were counted among the citizens of this country. They marched because they were patriots, just like me.

I marched because almost 27 years ago, Planned Parenthood told me I needed to make the decision that was right for me, so I got married at 18 and had a baby, even though I was a smart, intellectual, "good" girl who should have finished college in four years and gone on to graduate school to have an important career in public service. Instead, I was on the nine-year plan:  sometimes I worked full-time and went to school part-time. Sometimes I worked part-time and went to school full-time. Sometimes, I worked full-time and went to school full-time. By the time I finished college, I had a husband and a son and a daughter and a dog and was a full-time Store Manager, and I was pregnant with my third child. Planned Parenthood helped me see that even though my life wasn't going to be the one I had imagined for myself, that it didn't mean I couldn't be happy and successful. So now, after another 18 years, 2 more kids, 4 companies and the same husband later, I can march because Planned Parenthood helped me make MY choice.

There are so many reasons I marched:
*because I wanted to.
*because I want my daughters to live without the fear of sexual violence.
*because I want my mom to have access to affordable healthcare as she ages.
*because I want my gay friends to feel safe.
*because Black Lives Matter.
*because a woman's place is wherever she wants to be.
*because equal women should have equal pay and equal opportunity and so should the disabled and  people of color.
*because clean air and water should be unalienable rights.
*because Americans should be guaranteed the Unalienable Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, regardless of their economic, gender, religious or racial status.
* because our President shouldn't objectify human beings.
*because Muslims(and Christians and Jews and everybody else) are guaranteed the freedom to worship as they choose IN THE CONSTITUTION.
*because Planned Parenthood gave me hope.
*because I want to speak my truth to power.
*because I love my children and I want them to live in a world where people can safely be who they are.
*because my husband shares, and very often shoulders, our family responsibilities, so that I can explore so many possibilities(and MARCH!).
*because I needed to be with people who share my core values, who believe that protesting is one of the most important things we can do, when we feel like our voices are being ignored.

I would love to hear why you marched or why you did not, but only in a respectful tone. I will respect your right to have an opinion when you respect mine.

Give peace a chance!


Love,

 Corks