2016 was supposed to be a monumental year for women and other marginalized groups in the United States, when Democrat Hillary Clinton, the first female candidate for presidency, ran against Republican candidate Donald Trump. I think it’s safe to say that many women, myself included, felt uncomfortable supporting the social policies and commentary of Trump, no matter what party they came from. This feeling of discomfort with the amount of sexist conversations and speech occurring on such an important and public platform was supplemented by a rapid acceleration in feminist movements across the country. Women everywhere – despite how far we thought we had come in terms of gender equality and reformation of accepted, politically correct commentary – began to realize that our rights were gravely at stake, resting heavily on the results of the election. When Trump won and was rushed into office, it was clear that 2016 was not, in fact, going to be the great turning point for gender equality, nor the triumph of having a female in the most powerful position in the country, despite its history of female oppression.
Following the months after the election, multiple cities across the nation, such as New York and Washington D.C., held a Women’s March. Feminists of all genders and sexes marched in unity and solidarity, while chanting and carrying signs with messages of equality and civil disobedience towards any sexist or misogynistic mentalities. The passion and outrage originally spurred by the electoral support of someone like Trump, who so blatantly spoke with ignorance and aloofness towards the issues of injustice and discrimination in the US, was only ignited by a shared vision for change. If the election wasn’t proof enough that we haven’t come as far as we had thought, the continued sexism that radiated through opposition to feminist efforts only served to illustrate how blind we truly were as a nation.
It is now 2018, and it seems as though we are still on the defensive. Though there have been recent efforts to keep the feminist/equality-driven message of reform alive, such as the “Me Too” movement uniting survivors of sexual assault and allies to survivors, the most recent Midterm Election only reiterates that we have still not made significant enough change in ending gender discrimination, sexism, and inequality. It is important to note that yes, this midterm election was an incredible milestone for women, the LGBTQ community, and liberals in some respects: for the first time ever, more than 100 women were elected to the House of Representatives, including Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar as the first Muslim women elected to congress, Sharice Davids as the first Native American woman ever elected to congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, and Ayanna Pressley as Massachusetts’ first black congresswoman. Additionally, Jared Polls was the first openly gay man to win a gubernatorial election, and Chris Murphy, who represents the Sandy Hook families and has long been pushing for better gun control, won in Connecticut. Florida also restored voting rights to ex-felons, which will allow a million people to regain their right to vote (Harper’s Bazaar, “The Midterm Election Results Explained”). The Midterm Election definitely illustrates a nation driven towards change and reformation; however, it also shows that the changes we are fighting for are still coming in pieces. Though the new House is stacked in the favor of Trump opposition and will bring many monumental legislative changes to the US, we still could not win the Senate- which, in principle, bespeaks the notion that Trumpism is not completely radicalized in a majority’s eyes. We thought we had rallied enough Millennial and Gen X support to sway the vote and get some representatives in the House and Senate that could enact change on a legislative level; yet, the fact that Trump’s party still controls the Senate denotes that we as a nation have not actually been putting our words into action.
Singer and feminist Kesha knows this struggle all too well to have a voice under gendered oppression. After years of being legally held down and prevented from making music by her rapist / manager, Kesha won her fight and re-entered the industry stronger than ever with her song “Praying.” She has recently released a new single called “Here Comes the Change” for the movie “On the Basis of Sex,” which tells the story of the visionary and female advocate Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Having spent a lifetime battling adversity and push-back from her male peers, Ginsburg finally became a Supreme Court Justice and continues to advocate for gender equality. Kesha’s song “Here Comes the Change” augments Ruth’s powerful story by reminding us in 2018 that the change is not here yet, the fight is not over, and every voice matters in the battle to move forward towards equality.
The University of Michigan’s Alpha Phi Chapter paired with the Sony Music team to host the Red Dress Gala to bring women together and continue to spread Kesha’s message. At the entrance of the gala, the Sony Music team created a mural on which people could write their aspirations, visions of change, and goals. Though this mural may seem like a small feat in the grand scheme of things, 75 representatives across the country held this event at their own chapters and created monological videos of the project. When Kesha saw all of these women coming together, she re-posted a mashup of the videos on her Facebook account, which has 27 million followers, and praised these participants for persisting despite resistance. As noted in her Facebook post, “Your voice matters,” and even ‘small’ acts of advocacy can unite thousands towards a similar goal of change. Kesha may have a public platform, but she uses it to encourage people to build their own platform with passion and a tenacity for revolution.
Time and time again, I’ve heard the words, “I don’t feel like voting, one vote won’t do anything,” but if we add up all of the people who have felt that way, a good chunk of voices would be missing from the polls. Everyday we misconceive how big our influence actually is. It is 2018, and we are still having to argue why women, LGBTQ-identifying citizens, and minority groups deserve equal rights and opportunities in a historically democratic country. There is something seriously wrong with that narrative, and social change starts at the individual and his or her desire to see something different.
Images courtesy of awardcircuit.com and youtube.com