On January 25, Oklahoma City held Women’s March 2020. I had never been to any kind of march before, so when some of the Her Campus OK State girls decided to hit the road and be a part of the festivities, I was super excited.
I didn’t really know what to expect going into the day. I initially thought there was just going to be a speaker who was there to empower women even more as we march around Scissor Tail Park in OKC, however, I was proven very wrong.
There were speakers for various topics and all of them had stories to tell the crowd that were very powerful and just made you want to fight for change in every type of way. My eyes were opened to so many everyday struggles for people that I would never think about. I realized that because I fortunately haven’t faced some of the events that were spoken about, I have a blind eye to these issues and never stop to think that they are many people’s reality. I felt very fortunate to learn and hear about a lot of experiences and I felt an indescribable feeling watching these brave humans talk so openly.
The event hosted a variety of speakers on this day. It began with a group of indigenous women speaking about their native sisters who have been abducted, hurt or murdered. Several families shared their story about a loved one that went missing and the hardships they’ve had to face. It was hard to hear about the realities for many natives, but everyone stood with them and lent so much support.
Topics that were spoken about throughout the event included:
Human rights for undocumented minorities in the U.S.
The story of what it’s like being LGBTQ+ as an 11-year-old, told by the star herself
Female reproduction rights
Prison reform
The story of Julius Jones, an innocent man on death row, told by his sister
Etc.
This what I mean by being proven wrong, but in the best way possible. My expectation was beyond exceeded.
I also learned that women aren’t the only ones supporting women’s rights. I saw every group represented at the park that day. Every gender, every race, every ethnicity, LGBTQ+, etc. That alone felt so empowering. Being able to stand among other people who were fighting for change, along with women’s rights. It didn’t matter how different everyone was from one another. I felt a sense of unity and love that I can hold on to for a lifetime.