Preface: I am a born again, saved by faith, believe in the one true God only because of Jesus christian. I was raised Baptist then Presbyterian and now attend a non-denominational church. I work at an evangelical school (I do NOT claim evangelical). I spent 5 years of my life on the mission field giving people the tool of English to help better their lives. I will die for Christ. I raise my kids to love God and my husband and I strive to live daily for Christ. My theology is not twisted, it is sound.
Politically: I am not a conservative and I fall somewhere between the middle and the left. I did not vote for Trump and I while I am not happy that he is the president. He is my president because I am a citizen of the USA. I am also called by God to pray for him daily and to submit to his authority. With that said, only 3 years and 363 days left to go, God didn’t tell me to like him 🙂 .
If you want to read on about why I would have marched please do so but know that it is not my goal to persuade everyone that I AM WOMAN but it is to show why I as a Christ follower I would have marched. (Disclaimer: had one of my good friends NOT had her baby shower on Saturday I would have gone to a march 🙂 but relationships are so crucially important to me. I don’t believe this invalidates what I want to express.)
On Saturday, January 21, hundreds of thousands of women gathered together across the United States to peacefully march for the rights of many. I’ve seen many facebook/twitter/instagram posts from both sides and hash tags which indicate which side everyone is on, people “not claiming” to be on a political side, people claiming this is a “pro life/pro choice” argument and many other things including an anti-trump (one area I can agree) march.
Before we go on, I want to make sure that everyone is aware of the “why” these women marched across the USA. Here is the mission and vision of the Women’s March:
OUR MISSION
The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us – immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault – and our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear.
In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.
We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.
Now, why I would have marched:
The rhetoric of our President has been far from encouraging and inclusive of those communities who are mentioned above. He has tossed around words about people groups to make them feel like garbage and that they will be deported or that they are not welcome here. In classrooms around the nation, children fear that their parents will be deported, that they themselves will be deported. Other children are being ostracized and called names because of the color of their skin. This is not the America that I believe in. I believe that we are an inclusive nation and anyone can come and live the American dream. When I was growing up in the 90’s church, everyone wore bracelets with the slogan WWJD …
“What would Jesus do?”
I wonder what would Jesus do in today’s society. I think he would weep for the unborn. He would weep for the hurting women who are raped and hurt and get pregnant against their will. He would weep for the Muslims in our country, for those who are seeking political asylum because they have no where to go. He would weep for the children who are hurt by racial slurs and taunts by their peers. He would weep for those in the LGBTQ community who have been hurt by family and others. He would weep for the families who are torn apart because of immigration statuses. Jesus only sees the hearts and he died for every person who walked this earth. His arms are open for anyone who wants to make the choice to accept Christ as their savior and to live a life worthy of his name.
If I would have walked alongside of these friends, I do not condone everything, but I would have walked in solidarity because I see the tremendous hurt and injustice that is happening around them. I would befriend each of them, not for “outreach” or “mission” but because I genuinely care for all people of all race and ethnicity.
I would have also walked because I am a woman and I do not believe that my rights in the workplace are equal to mens’. I believe that there is a stigma with being a woman that has been taught for years. Women are weaker, women are incapable of anything outside the home. Women of race other than white are weak, poor and uneducated. If you really believe that, go see Hidden Figures at the movies and you will see how three African American women changed that stereotype (which still exists) in the 50’s.
Lastly, I think that this was a peaceful protest and it was to be inclusive. Sure, many of the women who attended were pro-choice, Hilary voting, feminists but they are our neighbors and friends. We are all women who want to see a better nation, a better world and that is why I would have walked.
bibs and memos 