It’s overwhelmingly obvious that patriarchy is very much alive. Our society is stuck in a misogynistic rut where he who shall not be namedhas been sworn into office despite his sexist hateful beliefs. But alas, all is not lost. Here are four ways we pledge to stand up and make changes for the future:
1) Fight for Equity in the Workplace
With so many battlefields to pick from, one of the most pivotal places to be a strong, independent woman is the workplace. There are misogynistic, career-mongering people lurking at every corner, but this is something that can be fought against by not letting any unequal treatment or harassment go unnoticed. Stand up for your fellow women and fight for equity in the workplace.
2) Support legislators who are fighting for us
If the 2016 elections taught America anything, it is that each and every vote matters. If. you don’t vote, you might be supporting the worst possible scenario with complacency. Let’s stay away from complacently supporting legislators who threaten our livelihoods, and let’s start actively supporting legislators who are promoting the causes we believe in and not hiding when issues arise.
3) Stand in solidarity with each other
As women of many different backgrounds, we have different struggles; but we can’t let these struggles divide us nor embolden us to silence each other. Rather, we must stand with each other arm in arm, showing solidarity, and uplifting each other’s voices rather than speaking over each other.
4) Uplift the voices of the youth and cultivate future leaders
In light of the recent #MarchforOurLives movement, and the Women’s March Youth, youth leadership in this nation has risen up to the occasion and proven itself a worthy adversary to fight the patriarchy. We can not afford to dismiss them as just kids anymore, our struggles are intersectional and systematic injustice has no age. The youth are our future y’all, make sure to support them!
With this, I leave y’all with a pivotal message: Stay alert and stay hopeful! While the world may not appear to be all rainbows and butterflies, we still have a fighting chance to see justice in forms of equality and equity. We just need to keep the hustle going!