One of the most controversial things you can be in this world is a woman. Every day, men of authority delegate decisions about our own bodies with no regard for our own input. Our intellect and capabilities in male-dominated fields are undermined and mocked because of our physical appearance. The #MeToo movement keeps gaining traction with endless survivors coming forward with allegations against corrupt, powerful men. Our rights, our safety, and the future of this country are being jeopardized by one overly unqualified man in the White House.
And so, on January 21, 2018, hundreds of thousands of women in cities across the world came together and the Women’s March happened. Some of the largest rallies in the United States were held coast to coast, from L.A. to Chicago to New York, and everywhere in between; however, every effort to bring about change in the current society was recognized and applauded, regardless of how big or small.
Mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, and grandmothers gathered, although age, race, sexual orientation, or gender were not divisive characteristics of this event: all were encouraged to join. And while the ambitions of the many unassuming marchers rang clear with their power in numbers, some of the most powerful messages came from the individual celebrities in attendance (Natalie Portman, Laverne Cox, Eva Longoria, Miley Cyrus and Whoopi Goldberg, just to name a few). Here are my top 5 quotes from the 2018 Women’s March.
Cher: “If you don’t take it, no one’s going to give it to you. And if you don’t have a vote, you don’t have a voice.”
This short but simple quote in the Las Vegas event drew attention to the new platform being discussed, #PowertothePolls, which aims to influence electoral politics, higher voter participation, and support for would-be candidates.
Scarlett Johansson: “I’m empowered… by the brightness of this movement, the strength and the unity that this movement has provided. It gives me hope that we are moving toward a place where our sense of equality can truly come from within ourselves.”
Johansson’s quote from the Los Angeles March does not explicitly address one platform, but rather the spirit of the march as a whole. It’s powerful in the way she highlights the inner strength that allows women of all walks of life to come together and fight for equality. Her speech was also about expressing her appreciation for the many who gathered and brought light to what sometimes seems like a labyrinth of darkness.
Alyssa Milano: “Voting is how we prove that our country is so much bigger and kinder than one man that is in the White House. The good news is that in a democracy like ours, the real power is not with him, it is with you.”
Milano’s impassioned speech in Atlanta about democracy helps fuel the peaceful protest and unites our collective power against one unjust, uninformed, and undeserving President. She speaks eloquently about how our country can benefit from exercising our right to vote and reminds us to stay vigilant about how the mighty many can outweigh the meek men when we stand united.
Viola Davis: “No one and nothing will be great unless it costs you something.”
Davis’ L.A. statement is broad in terms of what issues are addressed for this year’s march, which makes it easily applicable to the hundreds of thousands of women who came out and risked their silence in this world to band together and demonstrate their dedication to promoting change. Their participation in this display of activism shows there is an abundance of people who want to see this world become great again with some good old fashioned girl power.
Halsey: But we are not free until all of us are free/ So love your neighbor, please treat her kindly/ Ask her story and then shut up and listen/ Black, Asian, poor, wealthy, trans, cis, Muslim, Christian/ Listen, listen and then yell at the top of your lungs/ Be a voice for all those who have prisoner tongues/ For the people who had to grow up way too young/ There is work to be done/ There are songs to be sung/ Lord knows there’s a war to be won.
This is only a short excerpt from Halsey’s heart-wrenching poem “A Story Like Mine” which she delivered at the New York Women’s March. I can honestly say her whole poem gives me chills and tore me up because she is so young and has still encountered such atrocity. She is just one of the many survivors using their celebrity to draw the most intense scrutiny on offenders and helping to ensure they will no longer walk away without consequences. This last part of her poem is a call to action, one that rings across the country, across the world even, and encourages us to keep fighting this war. As long as we keep working toward creating a world where in the future, the “Story Like Mine” is about strength and resilience, we can then bring justice to those who are still becoming strong enough to stand up and speak. She promotes kindness, equality and awareness of our voice’s ability to empower and connect.
If you’d like to read or listen to the whole poem, you can visit here.
Although I did not participate in a small-scale or large march, I stand in solidarity with the women that did. I firmly believe that every step taken at the events worldwide not only helped blaze a trail for the bold and brave people who will come after us, but will also help improve the long road ahead of us to create change. After reading all these quotes, seeing all the signs, and reflecting on how I feel personally on the issues in question, there is no doubt in my mind that demonstrations like January 21, 2018 are helping cement the fact that the future is, indeed, female.