Unprecedented Times Call For Unprecedented Unified Compassionate Action
January 21, 2017 The Los Angeles Women’s March reported 750,000 people however, rumor has it, and I believe, it was closer to 1 million. The Washington Post reported more than 670 marches around the world and many of them mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people. There are images of smaller groups in Antartica and Moscow on social media and the news. People who had planned on coming to LA but could not get there due to traffic or jam packed trains marched where they were. Odds are that happened in many places. Let’s be clear- there are few places on the planet that women and men did not rise up to the broad spectrum of threats this new administration has brought us. My friend shared that she was in a silent retreat yesterday at Joshua Tree but they marched together in silence.
Imagine being in the middle of so many people, wall to wall on multiple blocks for miles, representing every age, gender identity, color and economic stature. Most dressed in street clothes, every 5 people wearing kitty (pussy) ears of some sort of a pink hat, crazy outfits, even a Ronald McDonald, a unicorn, and at least one uterus (yes-true) in a peaceful yet at time, aroused expressions of fierce moral outrage, marching shoulder to shoulder in brotherhood, sisterhood, and on our common ground.
I found myself looking around and wondering what polarizing issue I may have with the person walking next to me, and today finding our shared passion and our common humanity. Everyone was my relative.
The signs, carried by old and young were pretty much all anti-trump in one expression of sacred enough-ness after another. There were 1o signs for every 10 feet on any given march route, all creative, mostly home made and all colorful and bold. You could count on seeing the “F” word and some reference to felines and also uteruses every 100 feet, lots of comments about the size of the US President’s hands, his intimate relationship with President Putin, and the uncanny resemblance to a certain dictator from Germany. Of course, there were a fair amount of messages of nonviolence and inspirational quotes, but the general and overarching theme was anti-Trump. Having seen signage and hearing speakers at rallies all over the planet, it was clearly the theme of the day everywhere. I did not attend with that expectation but I was not at all surprised. I was not interested in joining in some of the chants that were anti-Trump however, I did sing along to “You Don’t Own Me” by Leslie Gore.
I was most taken that the ratio of men to women seemed to be about 40% (if not 50%) and the children holding signs and marching gave me hope. My favorites, “Fight Like A Girl” and “I’m 8 years old and my President throws more tantrums that me and I am not alowed to use Twitter.” or “My Sister is a goddess” (held by a 6 year old boy) and a man holding a sign that read, “My Wife Is a Nasty Woman”.
These are clearly unprecedented times that call for unprecedented unified compassionate action and yesterday was a demonstration of such action. It is clear that while many have been trying to tell us that 2012 was the shift of the ages and a feminine power is emerging, yesterday the world took notice. Together we hit the tipping point. January 22nd, 2017 we stepped over the threshold into a new way of the world. Now it’s up to us at the Charter for Compassion International to make sure that compassion, empathy, kindness, mindfulness, health and well-being and above all else; Love takes the lead on where we go from here. At the Women and Girls sector, it is up to us to make sure that women and girls are empowered, heard, seen, and honored in our rightful place in the human family. It’s up to us women to step into our leadership, know the power of our vote and the power of our money.
On the Charter’s MLK webinar with Civil Rights Giant CT Vivian, he asked us what our measurable goal was with this march. He reminded us that it’s the small victories that matter so that you can gain momentum and credibility before taking on bigger wins.
What is the small victory you want to achieve? Let us know and we may be able to make connections to Charter Partners working on complimentary or similar issues.
I was asked by a reporter if I thought the day’s march was successful. I told her it depends on what you consider a success. If it’s the numbers of global citizens in the streets at one time with one common theme, then, “yes”. If the men who showed up is evidence that women are honored by a critical mass and women know they have a chance , then, “yes”.
Sande Hart is the lead of the Women and Girls sector of the Charter for Compassion International
