Dolly
I’m Dolly from Charlottesville, Virginia. I am an educator, community organizer, and lady arm wrestler. My superpowers are helping people realize their potential, convincing people to do what I want, finding creative solutions and building teams. I am deeply rooted in my family, my friends, my students, and Central Virginia.
What are your fears at this moment in U.S. history?
I am afraid that greed, willful ignorance, and lust for power are having a momentary resurgence.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I am secretly super spiritual, and I deeply believe that we are having a quietly powerful revolution. This frothing about the surface is the last gasps of this cycle of patriarchy dying out. It’s not inevitable that we — the people — will prevail, but if we work from a place of love, truth, and light, then we can reject fear and create a more just world. This all sounds way more woo woo than my typical pragmatic talk, but this is the private place that I pull my activism energy from.
Do you have any reservations about attending the Women’s March? If so, why are you attending anyway?
I do have reservations about attending the march. My reservations fall into two main categories: ideology and safety. I’ve been so irritated by white women who are so offended that women of color have a platform. Who are these ladies who now are canceling plans to attend because they don’t feel welcome? I am going BECAUSE women of color have been centered in this march.
My other concern is safety. I’m typically “fly by the seat of my pants” about travel. At this moment in time, there are so many not-normal things happening that I’m feeling very cautious. I’m bringing some of my students to the march, and I feel very responsible for making sure that we have contingency plans in place. I’m attending and bringing my students because I think that fear wins if we let it. I think a great deal of this chaos and confusion is planned in order to silence dissent and critique. I’m not gonna shut up.
Why are you planning to participate in the Women’s March on Washington?
There are so many reasons, and they continue to develop — even as I write this. The first and most visceral reaction I had was “I am here. We are here. We are powerful. We have voices, and we stand strong against tyranny.” Everything feeds into that. We deserve health care. We deserve racial justice. We deserve respect regardless of our race, our sexuality, our gender, our immigration status, our religion, our health, our political views, our age, or our poor choices in hairstyles in our teen years. We deserve a government that represents us, not corporations. We deserve fresh air, housing, and clean water. We deserve a transparent government. We deserve voices in dissent, compromise, conversation, healing, and accountability.
One big reason I am going to the March is my students. I work with young adults as they transition out of high school. Most of my students are people of color, immigrants, low-income, refugees, Muslims, first-generation college students, or some combination of the above. The hateful rhetoric against them is infuriating and unfair. These young people are hard-working, funny, quirky, bright-eyed, and amazing. Their faults are the faults of young people everywhere. They think they are invincible. They are stubborn and proud and inexperienced. The fact that our incoming government seeks to demonize and further exploit these vulnerable youth makes me furious. I march in support of these young people, and all marginalized people. I firmly believe by protecting and advancing the most vulnerable of our population, we make our entire society more secure and just. I reject the notion that we live in a zero-sum world. We can have enough if we re-calibrate and remember what we actually need.
What do you hope the Women’s March on Washington will achieve?
I hope that we leave the march revitalized and with purpose. I hope to strengthen and form connections with other change agents in this world. I know that we will show the strength and power of the individual and the people.
[Editor’s note: This interview was conducted via email.]
