At another time in my life, I would not have spent most of Saturday occupying my tiny square of personal space in the heart of Washington DC, literally shoulder to shoulder with a half million others.
But there I was, pink hat and all.
I chose to be there because my grandmother cleaned other people’s homes and worked in food service in the promise that her two daughters, and then her three granddaughters, would all attend college.
I chose to be there because I have raised three brown sons to young adulthood in a world that did not always value them and where it now feels they are actively endangered.
I chose to be there for the friends with young children or mobility issues or other hurdles that prevented them from committing to a 24-hour round trip by bus into what promised to be exciting but challenging conditions.
I chose to be there for the women who work hourly jobs with limited paid leave and no guarantee that if they were delayed in getting back home by Sunday that job would be waiting for them.
I am glad I went and honored to have stood physically with those of you in DC and in spirit with those at events in NC and across the world. Now, let’s keep marching.
The Council is already active in many of the issues that mattered to those who rallied on Saturday, including gender equality, health care, immigration, climate change, economic justice, and racial reconciliation.
As an organization, we have long valued women’s voices at the table, predating our committee that worked for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. Even when it became clear that the ERA would not become law, that group morphed into work on broader women’s issues, such as economic justice.
We invite all of you who participated in Saturday’s rallies – whether in person or virtually – to join with us as we draw together those interested in addressing these issues from a faith perspective.
Some of that may be committee work, some of that may be helping us reach into more churches large and small across NC, some of it may take shape in ways we have yet to envision. We want you to be a part of it in all of the ways we will march forward together.
If you are interested in joining us, please email aleta@ncchurches.org, subject line Women’s March, with your name, phone number, city, and church affiliation. If you are already active with the Council, please invite a friend to connect with us by providing that information.
There is much work to be done. Let’s see this as a starting place and not as a finish line.
