Injustice Marches On; So Do We
Authors: Ayush Manandhar, Olivia Wilson, Lejla Dervišević
The right to protest peacefully is ingrained in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Throughout history, protest movements have led the spirit of positive change in the United States from the dawn of independence in the 1770s, through the civil rights movement during the 1960s. This spirit of resistance inspires people to this day. It inspires people of all backgrounds regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, race, faith, or religion.
Such notable historical success inspired the formation of the Women’s March that motivated millions of women, men, children, and disabled people to take to the streets on January 21, 2017. The Women’s March offered for all a radiance of light in the midst of forlorn darkness that has slowly swept across the nation and the world.
This darkness, which especially shrouds women, remains strong in American society, and is supported by the institutions and leaders who shape our democracy. Even today, Hispanic and African-American women who work full time earn only 55 cents and 66 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by a caucasian male. According to the International Labor Organization, the United States is one of the only few countries that does not guarantee paid leave for new mothers. American women are eleven times more likely to be murdered than women in other high-income countries. One in six women in America have been victims of rape, and more than half these crimes do not get reported, mainly due to society’s pungent response against these women. Due to high levels of gender inequality entrenched in the society, the United States is declining economically as well. The US now ranks 45th in the world in the gender equity index behind Rwanda, Nicaragua, Cuba, Mozambique, and Laos to name a few.
The circumstances are even bleaker for women in other parts of the globe. According to the World Health Organization, one in three women face physical violence in their lifetime. Every day, approximately 800 women die due to pregnancy and childbirth-related issues. Concurrently, approximately 225 million women have difficulties receiving basic family planning means. With approximately 63 million girls out of school, around 28 girls will have already faced early marriage by the time one finishes reading this article. Therefore, the notion that because a certain woman can vote or does not feel oppressed, it is reasonable not to support the March, is wrong.
The March, however, was not limited to the issue of gender disparity. It also gave a voice to refugees, immigrants of all statuses, African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, people who identify as LGBTQIA, people with disabilities, along with many other minority groups who are often victims of maltreatment and exploitations. The actions of the new administration, along with the rhetoric that was utilized during his campaign, has undermined the rights of many of these minorities, generating fear and hatred amongst the general population.
For centuries, America has become a guiding light of freedom and hope for not only its own people, but for those who have fled terror and tyranny internationally. This March proclaimed the American value that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. As people chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here,” and “This is what democracy looks like,” in Washington, D.C., millions more were in the streets all over the country, in every state, and all around the world, in every continent. This signified the leadership of American democracy. Millions of women, men, and children joined hands to speak out, to protect not only their own rights, but the rights of others whose rights have been infringed upon. It demonstrated the power of free speech, the power of numbers, that Americans will not stand for injustice, and that the international community will keep a watchful eye on the new administration.
Martin Luther King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,”. This March laid on the realization that if an African- American man is unfairly threatened by law enforcements in Furguson, it threatens the liberty of a caucasian man in New York. If a Muslim family is deprived from housing because of their faith, it impends on the rights of a Christian family as well. If a member of the LGBTQIA community is deprived from ordering a cake for his/her wedding, it degrades the value of this nation altogether.
This belief of communal, interconnected respect in America kindled the spirit of the March. Students of Westminster College who participated in the March on Washington took every step along Constitution Avenue united for one cause — love for one another despite their differences in faith, race, gender, sexuality, or nationality. Their diverse faiths did not prevent them from being welcomed in the Presbyterian Church in D.C. or from sharing dinner with a Reverend in Kentucky. As they shared about the impact the March had on them during a 16 hour long car ride from Washington, D.C. to Fulton, Missouri, their differences were unified in the universal ideas of love, acceptance, unity, and gratitude for the opportunity to stand together for what they believe in.
The March represented the true essence of a unified America, a spirit so powerful, it inspired millions more across hundreds of cities around the globe. It is the strength of this diverse nation unifying for a just cause that helps solve the most pressing issues that our country faces today. As new orders unfold under the new president, it is evident that marches of resistance, and of love and unity, will follow as well.
