21 January 2017

We march.

Starting the year off right, with a renewed sense of hope. Today, I marched in peaceful solidarity with 3.2 million other souls in the largest one-day demonstration in our country's history. Seattle alone expected 50,000 and over 130,000 showed up. I walked alongside people of every skin tone, gender, religion, age, socioeconomic background. Immigrants, the disabled, hearing impaired, elderly... Tremendous, glowing diversity. 

All present to simply demonstrate unequivocally that women must have equal pay for equal work and retain autonomy over their reproductive health. That citizens of all ages need access to affordable healthcare. That LGBTQ citizens deserve equal rights under the law. That climate change is real and accelerated by our excessive consumption of fossil fuels. And by extension, that our environment matters. Clean air, clean water, without them we have nothing.

These issues aren't going anywhere no matter how much the new administration would like to sweep them under the rug. The question now is, how far behind will we be in 3 years 11 months and 2 weeks when the Cheeto in Chief gets the boot? Time will tell. 

But for now, today was a comforting and fierce reminder that despite the results of an antiquated electoral college, Trump lost the election by over 2 million votes. He does not represent the majority of Americans. And while he's already started turning back the clock, we will continue the fight to protect our and your civil rights in the days to come. Onward.
  
Keep on keeping on,
SRD.