I did get into a spirited discussion about
protesting. It focused on one person's hatred of protesters because of flag
burning, even though that's not something that all protesters do, but I had
thought of doing it.
I thought of burning a flag the day after the
election, but wondered if I could even keep one lit. Then I thought of doing it
on inauguration day, but there were already people doing it, and I didn't feel
like I could add anything to it. I'm not ruling it out for the future - maybe
right after they pass legislation outlawing it - but if I am going to do it, I
want it to be meaningful.
That was my choice, and thinking about these choices
will be important for this and tomorrow's post.
I had registered for the Women's March sister march
in Portland. I was planning on going and I had let my sisters know so that we could
make sure that our mother was not left alone. That is something that affects
all of my decisions about where I go and when now. Still, it looked like a go.
The first doubt came when I saw that the Portland
NAACP had withdrawn its endorsement:
The lack of inclusion was all too familiar, but
another friend had posted a reminder to white protesters that if things start
going down, make sure to watch out for the people of color around you. Take
photos. Make sure they get to safety. I still felt like the march could do good
and that I might do good there.
There had been another hint of an issue, but it
hadn't really registered. I saw something indicating that sex workers had been
first included and then excluded. At that point I was not quite clear on how
many events were happening or how they were connected, and the mention I saw
was not specific. I know that many people are uncomfortable with sex workers,
though I promise you that the issues that affect them are related to the larger
struggle for women's rights.
Speaking of the abortion rights issue, I got into
discussion on that too, but only after. I see valid reasons for concerns given
the threats to women's health care and the predatory nature of the president,
but exploring common ground could be useful here and I know that many pro-life
women did march.
Those concerns were there, but I was still planning
on going. Then I saw that they were leaving Hillary Clinton off the list.
Some argued that Michelle Obama should have been on
there too, and I think that would have been nice, but given how much Clinton
has put herself out there in this election, it was shocking that she would be
excluded.
That was another blow. I was thinking maybe I could
make my sign reference her, like "Still with her" or "Thanks
Hillary", but I was starting to feel done. I heard that the organizers
were big Sanders supporters, and then ignoring people of color and refusing to
give credit to Hillary made perfect sense.
At that point, it was easy to decide not to go. This
is not my path forward, and I have limited time. I am going to use it on the
March and Rally for Justice and Equality on the 28th.
I still believe that the Women's March was good for
the people who went. If I had unlimited free time, I might have done both.
Frankly, there is enough going on that we are all going to have choose where to
focus our participation or we are all going to burn out. That will only benefit
Trump.
I will share one last thing on the Women's March.
This puts the onus on me, but not only me.
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