‘Cause…
I know we’ve Come So Far
But we’ve Got So Far To Go
~ Hairspray
Today – as with every day – the world stands at a crossroads.
Yesterday, millions of people made their voices heard. Millions of feet hit the street in the largest world wide protest that many of us had ever seen. But not all of us, many on those streets and outside of them recognize those protests, because they remember when they’ve happened before.
And it was those people who reminded me of something incredibly important:
Yesterday was not enough.
I was among many yesterday who had probably never attended a protest in their lives. I’m not an activist, I’m not a political person, I am guilty of hiding in the shadows instead of speaking out. There were a lot of people like me there yesterday, deciding that this was it, this was the time to change things.
But the thing is, change does not happen because of just one day. And it does not happen just because you went to one march. Marching is not enough. One day of changing your attitude, of standing up and speaking out, is not enough. This is not the time to put our marching boots in the closet and go back to our own comfortable lives, there is still a fight, there will always be a fight. This is not the time to sit back and look at those selfies you may have snapped and congratulate yourself for “doing something” and then leave it at that. This is the time to KEEP doing something,
The rights we marched for yesterday are still in danger. And it should be noted that the March yesterday did not have a single arrest, while a march run by something like Black Lives Matter (also intended to be a peaceful march) is met with riot gear before it even starts. The balance is still heavily tipped. Just because the majority marched, does not mean the minorities are saved.
What yesterday was? Was a start. A beautiful, true and strong start…a start that I dearly hope will start to change attitudes towards privilege and every single other –ism. Ride that wave of hope, fan the flame it gives you, and use it to keep moving forward…and NOT JUST FOR YOU.
Because this isn’t just about feminism, any more than it is just about race, or just about orientation. Intersectionality is a real thing, and something that needs to be acknowledged, we will get nowhere if by fighting for “our” cause, we fight against someone else’s, or eclipse someone else’s.
Those of us who are fortunate enough to be born into privilege (and that does not necessarily mean – or have anything to do with wealth) – have a responsibility: not only to treat every one of our fellow human beings with kindness and respect, but to acknowledge the privilege we have been born into, and use it to fight – and fight hard – to bring everyone the rights that we are lucky enough to enjoy every day.
The fight, my friends, brothers, sisters and elders…has only just begun.
It’s going to be a long, tumultuous, four years, we have a lot of work ahead of us. So acknowledge each other, help each other, get comfortable with being uncomfortable…
Because it really is time to stop accepting the things we cannot change, and start changing the things we can no longer accept.