Click below to listen to the audio podcast: 30 Days after the Women's March

http://dayinwashington.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/30-Days-After-the-Womens-March_final.mp3

The Women's March on Washington (WMW) was a once in a generation kind of event. Nothing has invigorated such action since the right for women to vote. On January 21st we witness an event that crossed populations and groups of women like never before. It was about women with disabilities, women of color, trans women, women incarcerated by the justice system, immigrants, sex workers, pro-choice, pro-life.the list goes on. For many of us, this is not about parties or platforms abut a fundamental belief in the equality of all women.

All women.

And the recognition of the individual rights integral to that value.

The city was planning for 500,000 marchers. The final tally was estimated at closer to 1 million. Beyond Washington DC, people marched in almost 550 cities and towns in the U.S., and 100 more locations overseas. It was arguably THE largest single-day protest in American history.  But to create lasting change and to make an impact we also have to work at what comes after.

It has been just one month since the Women's March on Washington and a lot has happened since then - policies have been made, guidance's rescinded, executive orders signed (and overturned by the courts). To read the news and media reports of politics can be emotionally exhausting, disheartening, and paralyzing. How can we keep the fire, the passion, and the solidarity alive? There were a lot of articles about what to do next. Now, 30 days later, perhaps it is important to remind ourselves that we have the power and we make choices that can and do have an impact. Just a simple reminder of all the things we can do:

Don't limit your advocacy. There are many ways to take action and each person should carefully consider their time, commitment, and dedication. In the time that has passed perhaps you have already chosen your advocacy priorities. Examine how you feel. Is this working? Choose actions that play to your strengths; that let you engage, learn, grow, and resist. And you don't have to do it alone. Find others who share your passion. Lean on each other. It is a long road ahead.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. We must not allow time to dissuade us from our advocacy and normalize this new state of being, this new America. Stay active. Stay engaged.

Perhaps as critical as #1, this is to ensure your advocacy and efforts are inclusive of all women. The WMW has sought to ensure that the voices of all women are heard (with some successes and some failures). It is very easy to fall into the trap of working on issues that are pertinent to us and to ignore, forget, or overlook other groups.  Policies and politics can, and have been crafted to impact some groups more than others: undocumented women, women in the criminal justice system, poor women, women with disabilities, women of color, sex workers. We must always strive to reflect, center, and amplify the voices of those who are most directly threatened. It is also easy to become disheartened by actions, advocacy, and organizations that aren't getting it all right. Stay strong and always, always, speak out and demand accountability.

Our actions must embrace issues that impact all women or we will find ourselves carved up into small special interests.  Look around. Is your advocacy inclusive and diverse? Does it represent America, or only your small vision of it?

Stay informed. The assumption is that of course we're informed! The reason this is listed as a separate item is because of the increased pressure on the press and on mainstream media for what could be deemed splashy headlines and clickbait articles. This is exacerbated by the vast increase of social media focused opinion pieces that have minimal facts but significant inflammatory language.