Over the weekend, my sister and I attended the Women's March held in Washington DC.
I had a short journey compared to most attending the movement; living only a half hour outside of D.C. my trip in (while uncomfortable) was not overly harrowing. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to the main stage due to entrance closures. Then, after standing for over an hour along the March route, I was further disappointed that the original march planned for 1:15 had been canceled. I later learned that the cancellation was due to the larger than expected crowds, an understandable issue, but it would have been nice to know before squishing myself along Independence Avenue.
However, despite the lack of organization, I was still inspired and awed by the number of attendees. This event brought all walks of life together, far beyond its female focus group. Protest signs of every shape and size graced the crowed.
While many bore a similar anti-Trump message; the majority of signs were simply pro Women. Popular pro-women messages included:
“Girls just want to have fun-damental rights”
"I love my Mom”
“Women’s rights are Human rights”
My sister, touted a broader message:
"Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere" - Martin Luther King Jr
This is the kind of quote that sticks with you because it hinges on the classic “slippery slope” logic. While without evidence it could be dismissed as a logical fallacy, but its real purpose is to provoke your own thoughts on the matter.
Is this true? Can the oppression of one lead to that of another?
In my opinion, it can.
If injustice is the norm, why would people in power try to be just? Reflecting on this I’ll share a story from my journey home after the march.
On the metro home I overheard a conversation between a few families leaving the march. One group, was from Ireland and the other from Dallas. An older gentleman asked his new Irish acquaintance why he had come so far for the march. What cause had spurred him to such expensive action?
The Irish man paused, sighed briefly and said –
“Well honestly, it was my daughter that brought us out here. You see she lived through the whole gay rights movement it Ireland. It started when she was only four, back in 2010 when Ireland legalized civil unions. She wanted us to come because she was worried and didn’t want to see the USA fall backwards.”
Note: Quoted from memory and mildly enhanced for readability.
The conversation had perked up my ears; this little girl of 12 was worried about us? Similar to Martin Luther King Jr, she has sensed that injustice in this country may affect her own. I think many participants felt that way, especially attendees of international sister marches.
According to a sister march webpage, an estimated 2.6 million people took part in 673 marches in all 50 states and 32 countries, from Belarus to New Zealand — with the largest taking place in Washington. - USA Today
MLK was a wise man, and I don’t intend to argue with him. The next step in my journey is to find my own Justice. We all know what injustice looks like. I think it’s nearly universally recognizable, but how do we stop it?
Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments; I hope to circle back to this issue. Currently I’m embarking on a literary journey (spurred by @slickwilly) and have yet to determine my own sense of Justice. For further reading check out his blog on libertarian and anarchy books he read over the past year.