March on Washington: women’s rights are human rights

By SHYAN MURPHY

On Jan. 21, 2017, our president-elect will serve his first full day in office. In response, there will be an organized assembly of gender and racially diverse feminists gathered in the nation’s capital in order to demonstrate unity and support for the women of this country. Although this is not an anti-Trump protest, it is a march that serves as a wake-up call for women’s rights as Donald J. Trump serves his first day as our nation’s leader. Women across the country will unify in efforts to support of the rights they fear losing to the new administration.

I support this gathering, and view it as a cry for change from the many women across the nation. What began as a social media discussion has catastrophically grown, and as stated by Vox writer, Emily Crockett, this event “has the potential to be the biggest mass mobilization yet that America has seen in response to a presidential inauguration.”

The women and feminist allies participating in this march have come together to ensure that our rights as women and human beings are fully protected and will not change along with the leader. The phrase used among many of these participants is that of a famous line from a speech delivered by Hillary Clinton, stating, “Women’s rights are human rights.” This line serves as the motivation for activists to fight for a positive change in our culture.

This march is more than a positive event for the women of our nation, serving as a unifying gesture for our nation as a whole. This entire election has divided our country, and it is time for the people to stand up for their rights and become a more united country again. We have allowed this election to separate the country into different groups, spreading hate from one person to the next when we are supposed to have love for our country and those who inhabit it. This is why we need to show support for the more marginalized individuals, especially women belonging to these various targeted groups.

The Women’s March on Washington will not only unify the individuals involved and impacted by the situation, but will also help others realize the possible problems to be faced once the president-elect is sworn in and made our nation’s new leader. However, we must not allow our fear to turn to hate, but remain confident in the actions we choose to take and the power we have as the citizens of the United States.

So long as the individuals in charge of this massive event are able to keep the situation as peaceful and organized as possible, I believe that this could inspire change for the better while bringing a lot of individuals closer together for the support of basic human rights.

Even if not actively participating, we should stand together in support of these brave individuals who are choosing to exercise their freedom and marching to protect the rights we all deserve. This is our time to come together, so silenced voices can be heard, change can be made, and love can finally be spread instead of hate.