#WhyIMarch

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

This Saturday, over 200,000 people are coming together in Washington DC to stand up for civil rights. The official march‘s website states their mission: “We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families — recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.”

I will be there. Proudly. 

I am still grief-stricken that Donald Trump has been elected our 45th president. I believe that he is underprepared for the responsibilities of the office, and an embarrassing spokesperson for our country.

My opinions above about Donald Trump aren’t even political. I respect his right to have political opinions that differ from mine. I accept the fact that we will have a Republican president for the next 4 years. This has happened before, and it will happen again — that’s how democracy works.

So, why am I marching? Why do I feel so outraged and heartbroken?

I feel that his disrespect for women and minorities is disgusting. His combativeness towards those who disagree with him is immature. His general lack of compassion towards others is sad. And while he is just one person, he now has a lot of power, so these are not things that we can ignore.

What do I think this march is going to accomplish?

Sadly, I doubt it will impact Donald Trump and his administration. He’s likely to post something inane and reactive on Twitter, but unlikely to change his ways.

That said, I hope that we can help raise more awareness about issues of sexism, racism, ableism, xenophobia, homophobia, and transphobia. It’s appalling that anyone can truly feel that someone’s gender, race, ethnicity, abilities, sexual orientation, or gender identity makes them any less deserving of equal human rights and compassion.

The most realistic expectation, though, is that this march will help garner more momentum for the (non-violent) fight for justice and equality. Hundreds of thousands of like-minded people (potentially millions, if you include all of the sister marches around the globe!) will be coming together to proudly announce that we continue to stand for fairness, and kindness, and love.

More than anything, this is what I believe in, and this is #WhyIMarch.