The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    The Women’s March resulted in opposing views, but equal rights

    The most recent Women’s March on Washington D.C. occurred on Jan. 21, 2017, one day after the Inauguration of Donald Trump.

    After, I heard negative comments about both events. This disappointed me. People who attended both events were scrutinized. Attending either event showed support of the issues that they care about and unity with the group that they identify with. We are all unified as citizens of the United States of America. 

    While watching a television viewing of “The Breakfast Club,” a radio show, R&B soul singer Chrisette Michele defended her decision to perform as a part of the Inauguration festivities. People attacked her because they felt that her performance supported Trump despite racist comments he made during his run for presidency. She did not state that she supported Trump.

    One of the things that struck me during Michele’s interview was the fact that when asked why she didn’t attend the Women’s March  the next day, she stumbled upon an answer and said  “I wasn’t invited.”

    On the official page dedicated to information about the Women’s March on Washington, it clearly states that those regardless of their gender or gender identity, that believes that women’s rights are human rights are welcome. I don’t see how someone who claims to advocate rights for all genders could say that “they weren’t allowed” to go to the Women’s March. If the Women’s March didn’t welcome some because of their political affiliation or beliefs,  that was a personal decision of the organization. It still does not restrict a person from going. The event was not ticketed, so no formal admission existed.

    The Women’s March was created as a type of homage to the Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights March of 1963 after obtaining the blessing of Bernice King, his daughter. The main mission of the march is to unite people by way of nonviolent protest. Those involved hope to protect their rights, safety, health and families. 

    Here’s where the problem comes in. Most people believe that women already don’t have rights. Clearly women have rights. Everyone has rights. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to disrespect the president of the United States with jokes, or oppose some of his stances with large-scale protests. The marches solidify the rights that women already have and protect them. 

    No march despite the cause will completely fix issues. Action is required to implement changes. What I appreciated after the Women’s March was the new campaign 100 Actions for the First 100 Days. This is intended to implement actions during the president’s first 100 days. The first action is to send postcards to your Senator voicing the issues that matter the most to you. 

    Although we may not all agree in the manner in which certain protests occur or the issues being advocated, we should allow protests and conversations to remain peaceful and open. This issue goes beyond women; it’s a human race issue. If I, as a pro-choice Democrat, can have a peaceful, intelligent disagreement with a pro-life Republican, then so can you. It’s not about marches, people. It’s about treating humans like other humans. 

     
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