How You Can Keep the Momentum After the Women’s March Terri Lomax January 22, 2017 Who knew that one weekend could be filled with so much devastation and empowerment all at once. While we bid farewell to the Obama family and reminisced on what the past 8 years meant for us, the president elect assumed his position. But what else happened this weekend was an estimated 3 million people around the country joined forces in solidarity with the Women’s March in Washington. Those are two major events with two major effects. And believe it or not, both of them have to do with you. There was a lot of emotion as the Obamas left the White House. Some of us were sad and felt like we were losing a part of ourselves and our team there in Washington, and some of us were hurt, because we truly believe that more could have been done for the black community, while Obama was in office. Regardless of how you feel, one thing that’s for sure is that the Obamas carried themselves with elegance and class, even when faced with the most obscene rhetoric. They worked hard and did it with style and grace. But as all things have a season, it was there time to step away and we have to remember that we to have the power to make a difference. Yesterdays march on Washington was proof of that. In the words of a fellow Mocha Girl and marcher: “In a time when we felt lost, we turned it around and gathered together our restless spirits and our fiery hearts and we let Trump know that his place in government wouldn’t define us! He would not define our womanhood, he would not define our right to safe health care, he would not define our families, he would not define our right to religion, he would not define the way we continue to strive to be a dynamic America.” You my friend have to power to define that and only you. Now we must take some time and shed off things like fear or lack of knowledge or lack of experience. The things that often hold us back from using our voices to make the changes we crave to see. I’m on this journey with you! I never saw myself as an activist. I never set out to be controversial. I’ve never been interested in politics but daggone it, if we want something different, we must be willing to do something different. While I still have reservations about the modern day feminist agenda, I will continue to fight for equal rights for black people and women of color, in a way that makes sense to me. I’m creeping outside of my comfort zone and I urge you to come out here with me! We’re in this together… How You Can Keep the Momentum After the Women’s March Here are a few things that you can do right at this very moment to begin to take a stand, to make sure your voice is heard, and to stand in solidarity with all of us who know that a change is needed: 1. Do some research and find out what issues set your own soul on fire. Head over to www.pewresearch.org/topics and browse through the tough stuff and see where you might want to most take a stand 2. Call or write your representatives and tell them how you feel. The website www.house.gov/representatives/find allows you to see who exactly is speaking on behalf of YOU and your neighbors, in the government — make sure they know what you want to be said. 3. Organize and begin conversations. It’s small ripples that turn into big waves. Conversations over dinner or during a drive with friends, family, and neighbors about the issues that matter is indeed a great way to make change! My Challenge To You: Take an inventory of the issues that matter to you this week. Read the paper and watch the news and see where and when your heart jumps a little. Reflection Question: Am I part of the change I want to see in my community, in my country, and in the world?
