By I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have always known that from Humboldt to Los Angeles, Californians — and especially Bay Area people — have a history of getting out for protests. Berkeley marched against the war in Vietnam. San Francisco demanded LGBTQ rights and marriage equality. Oakland is the heart of Black Lives Matter on the west coast.
This march was no exception. With Women’s March protests set to happen around the globe, people came from all over the Bay Area to march not just for women’s rights, but in support of anything and everything at stake during a Trump presidency.
Young or old, gay or straight, trans or cis, white or black, male or female, Muslim or non-Muslim, born citizen or immigrant, I saw all these people show up for each other, and it gave me hope for the next four years.
People of all colors, faiths, orientations, ages, abilities, and backgrounds showed up, not just for themselves, but for each other.
There are so many important issues to discuss, so many nuances of identity, feminism, politics, and intersectionality to acknowledge, but I’m going to leave that for another article.
Today, I saw the best of all corners of America show up and literally walk the walk. Young or old, gay or straight, trans or cis, white or black, male or female, Muslim or non-Muslim, born citizen or immigrant, I saw all these people show up for each other, and it gave me hope for the next four years.
This is what we will need. This is what we must require of each other. Going forward, we must pledge to support each other, to hold each other accountable for showing up and continuing this fight for the next four years and beyond.