Earlier this year women's marches took place all over the country and their purpose was to promote women positively and stand up for gender inequality throughout the United States. In the fall of 2016 I took my first gender course and it opened my eyes to the way women have been discriminated against for so long. There were many differing opinions regarding the women's marches and I came to realize this throughout my friend group.
When one of the women's march happened in Washington D.C. I read articles and watched many brave women on the news stand up for themselves and women throughout this country and the world who face social injustices. I had a group chat with 6 of my closest friends and they began bashing these women and I became angry. After reading some of the words that were said and my heart sank, I felt like all I had learned in my gender courses meant nothing and I did not know how to respond to her. I simply removed myself from the group chat because I did not know what to say. At this moment I could have used my voice and I could have used the things I learned to take the time to educate them so they could see things from a different perspective. I silenced myself in fear of retaliation from my closest friends ad that was a mistake that I regret to this day. I could have said so much and explained so much about what feminism actually is and why these women feel compelled to stand up for themselves and other women who they do not even know. I have attached the screen shots of our group chat conversation, I would love to know what you all think!
"Feminism is: (a) a belief that women universally face some form of oppression or exploitation; (b) a commitment to uncover and understand what causes and sustains oppression, in all its forms and (c) a commitment to work individually and collectively in everyday life to end all forms of oppression" (Maguire, 1987, p. 79)
