Why I March

I've seen a few posts on my Facebook questioning why women (and men!) took to the streets to march yesterday for the Women's March on Washington. A few posts pointed out the severe women's rights issues occurring around the world and that they (such as FGM, child marriage, sex trafficking, etc.) are more pressing than those happening in the US and therefore women in the US should be happy and have no need to protest. Below I defend why I marched and why I assume many other marchers did as well, so here we go:

Although it was called the “Women’s March” it was not only for women’s rights. I have friends who are pro-choice and those that are pro-life who marched, because it wasn’t a march that simply fought for women’s right to choose but rather a women’s right to safe and affordable healthcare. Only 3% of all that Planned Parenthood does is related to abortions. The Women’s March was about equality for all. Yes, that means equal pay for women who are still earning, on average, only between 76-79 cents to every dollar a man makes. That gap gets larger as you look at women from different backgrounds with different color skin. The Women’s March supported our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters who have been marginalized and deliberately killed, like in Orlando at Pulse Nightclub, at no fault of their own. Homosexuality is found in hundreds of animals around the globe and is not a life choice, it is just the way some people are born. Marchers stood in solidarity with people of color who are scared to call for emergency services because they feel that their life may be in more danger doing that than through the actual emergency they are facing. People of color that have faced systematic racism, many times the perpetrators blind to the prejudices and bias they hold. The Marchers rallied for the environment, because each year we are losing more wildlife and our Earth is warming. Man-made Climate Change has been proven to be real and we are already seeing the effects of it through the severe weather patterns of strong storms and severe drought that have affected the great majority of the country, and can be seen around the world as well. Marchers supported the disabled community and denounced the bullying that those who are differently abled than us have been subjected to. The Women’s March recognizes that immigrants built this country and that immigrants make this country great. Marchers showed solidarity with all religions, knowing that America is a place where religious intolerance has no place and that Islamaphobia hurts our millions of innocent Muslim brothers and sisters who do not support the radical Islamic terrorists that have become the face of their religion to the world.

I am straight, I do not currently go to Planned Parenthood, I am White, and I have lived a rather privileged life. I recognize my privilege and I use it to support those who are less privileged. I marched because I have LGBTQ+ friends who deserve to live their lives like the rest of us, because love is love. I marched because 3 out of 5 women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime and Planned Parenthood provides much needed physical and mental support to women at all stages of their lives. I marched because I will not stand for sexual assault to be acceptable or glorified, because I know too many friends that have been sexually assaulted. I marched because my Muslim friends should be able to feel safe in the apparel they choose to wear to express their devotion to God and not be judged on actions of those that share a religion by name but not by practice. I marched because even I have found myself on edge when I am alone and a black man approaches, which I recognize is a bias that I must actively fight. I marched because some of my best friends are People of Color and without them I wouldn’t be who I am today, and neither would America. I marched because Climate Change is real and ignoring the obvious will have disastrous outcomes. I marched because I am a Jew and my people have been attacked in the past and in the present. I marched because 6 million of my ancestors were killed following hateful rhetoric and lies that brought Adolf Hitler to power. I am a woman and I marched because I have a voice and we are louder, and stronger, together.

Many of the issues brought up regarding women’s rights in other countries are true, and I am fighting for them too. I provide microlaons to women all around the world to allow them to pursue their education, to become entrepreneurs, and to take control of their lives and better support their families. I used my last birthday to raise money to build a water well in Uganda, to make it a safer place for them to live because Climate Change has made commutes for clean water further and more dangerous journeys. I work out using Charity Miles, an app that donates money to your choice charity and I invite you to use it too. When I shop on Amazon I use Amazon Smile to support organizations I love as well. Some of my favorite to support are Kiva.org and She’s The First. I am a woman and I stand with my sisters (and brothers) of all colors, ages, livelihoods, sexual orientations, and home countries.


If you would like to learn more about women's issues around the world, I would suggest reading/watching “Half the Sky” by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof. Sex trafficking and sexual assault, as well as violence towards women are not just happening in far off lands. They’re happening here in the US too and probably closer than you think. Nick and Sheryl also wrote/filmed “A Path Appears” that looks at those issues in the US. I highly, highly recommend it.


I am hoping that Trump switches his narrative from one that divides to one that unites. I am hoping that he recognizes that women’s, LGBTQ+, POC, and immigrant rights are human rights. I marched because I am a human and I stand up for the rights of my fellow humans, whether in the US or abroad, and hope that my president does as well.

Photo by Erika Kao Photography©