Here
we are. Right here in Astoria, Oregon. Look at us! We are marvelous. We are
powerful! And today, we honor those who struggled before us so that we have the
glorious privilege to gather here today. We are grateful for the long arc of
herstory, of progress, the arc of justice — that is the American dream. Those
who believed that dream have given us words and songs and images that keep the
dream moving forward — Just like a stream that’s standing by the water, We
shall not be moved.
Because
of those who steps we follow today, we know that the rainbow arc of justice
does not yet embrace everyone. We know
that there is a place at the table for everyone. So, it becomes our duty to stand up, to speak
out, to resist the forces that seek to dismiss, diminish or destroy the long
and persistent arc of justice. This is our responsibility. This is why we
march. But this is not the only reason we march.
We
also have a responsibility to spread this message, to help those who do not
understand that the arc of justice includes them, even when we disagree. It is
our task to remember that, as well. The arc is long. It can appear polarizing.
But an arc, just like the rainbow, is a circle. When we bend the arc to
complete the circle, the polarizing ends are next to each other.
In
these times which we are made for, we must discover ways to enact those lofty
ideas cited in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We need to practice
being comfortable with the discomfort of these times. We need to practice
taking to the streets when we’d rather stay home, or hang with friends. We need
to practice seeing beyond our own lives so that we can see the connections that
swirl around us, and touch us because that is what unifies us. Especially in
times like these.
So
I want to practice. Here. Now. I ask that you practice with me. Let’s say these
words with strong voices, speaking together:
I am a woman! I am a man. I am queer.
I am transgender. I am black. I am brown. I am Native American. I am a
water protector. I am Asian (and to the Supreme Court) I am Slant. I am an
immigrant. I am undocumented. I am homeless. I am a prisoner. I am a guard. I
am law enforcement. I am Jewish. I am Muslim. I am a Goddess. I am a child. I
am the environment. I am history.
I am herstory!
You
see, we all matter, but only if Black Lives matter as much as everybody else.
We all matter, as long as the water, our life-blood, matters as much. We all
matter as long as the air we breathe matters as much. We are all of this and much
more. This! This is who we are! And this marvelous diversity is exactly what
makes us vulnerable to a straight-thinking, overlysimplistic, dualistic,
either/or mind-set. We must embrace our complexities — our complicated and
elaborate and convoluted lives. And to different degrees some of us relish the
messiness of it all. What sets us apart from rigid authority is that we deeply
believe that when our most basic rights — life, liberty, and the pursuit of
justice — are supported, then our lives are freed up to risk creative
innovation, experimental ideation, new possibilities, comingling and
transformation. We see what we can become.
Last
night, I checked out the website whitehouse.gov. I
searched for LGBTQ information. Nothing. I searched for the Native News link.
Gone. I searched for immigration issues and climate change. Nothing. Always the
same message, “Sorry the page you’re looking for can’t be found.” I searched for
Black Lives Matter. Nothing. When I searched for information on “African Americans,” Obama popped up. When I
searched for “Civil Rights”, Abraham Lincoln popped up, and James Buchanan, and
several other interesting but historical findings…and a redirect to the
Executive Branch of Government because the search engine found the words
“civil” employees and “rights.” Most of the issues that I searched for no
longer exist, or have been replace with a reference that incorporates a
repetitive line, “trade deals working for all Americans.” This is not my
America. This does not represent us. Nor does the whitehouse.gov website recognize Women’s Rights. And so,
today we march. We march for the protection of our rights, our safety, our
health, and our families. We march in unity with the DC Women’s March
organizers who declare: "In the spirit of democracy and honoring the
champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we
join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. We send
a bold message to our new government on this first day in office, and to the
world, that women's rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing
that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us."
This is why we march! We march together with a renewed and energized spirit. We
march with protective anger and fierce love.
Just as singer-songwriter,
Melanie DeMore says, “You gotta put one foot in front of the other and lead
with love.” Can you say that back to me?
You gotta put one foot in front of the other and lead with
love.
YOU GOTTA PUT
ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER
AND LEAD WITH
LOVE, PUT
ONE FOOT IN
FRONT OF THE OTHER AND LEAD WITH LOVE! (x2)
1)
DON’T GIVE UP HOPE
(DON’T GIVE UP HOPE)
YOU’RE NOT
ALONE (YOU’RE NOT ALONE)
DON’T
YOU GIVE UP (DON’T YOU GIVE UP) KEEP MOVIN’ ON (KEEP MOVIN’ ON).
2)
LIFT UP YOUR EYES
(LIFT UP YOUR EYES)
DON’T YOU
DESPAIR (DON’T YOU DESPAIR)
LOOK UP AHEAD (LOOK
UP AHEAD)
THE PATH IS
THERE (THE PATH IS THERE)
3)
I KNOW YOU’RE SCARED
(I KNOW YOU’RE SCARED)
AND I’M SCARED
TOO (AND I’M SCARED TOO)
BUT HERE I AM
(BUT HERE I AM)
RIGHT NEXT TO
YOU (RIGHT NEXT TO YOU)!
Today. We are the
Women’s Movement. And we march together
toward justice for all!
