I have been asked many times over the last 48 hours either why I was going to or why I did march. To me it is not a simple answer. It is dynamic and necessary. To me it is not a question of why I do but rather all the reasons that not marching was not an option.
I march because I have privilege and because the voice that I have will be heard. I march because if I do not use my voice to advocate for those that are disregarded by our administration and by the socio-political climate in this country then I am not standing up to the expectations and values that I was brought up in.
I march because when I was 11 years old my mother gave birth to a baby that was not supposed to survive. This baby, my baby brother, has proven people wrong every single day that he lives. My baby brother, now 15 years old, could not be insured without the Affordable Care Act. I march because when people see someone in a wheelchair, or with development disabilities, or with invisible ailments, they assume that they are unintelligent and that their voices, or experiences, are not valid.
I march because when I was 16 years old I walked into Planned Parenthood after being raped to get Plan B and be put on birth control. I went to Planned Parenthood because I was terrified to talk to my friends and family about what I had been through and was afraid of the judgement that may have come along with it. The doctor at Planned Parenthood was gentle, supportive, and listened to me while I cried and expressed my concerned. She talked to me about my options and put my feelings and my choices first. She helped me understand what it meant to advocate for myself and my body.
I march for my right to choose what I want to do with my body because more times than once I have had that choice taken away from me by intimate parties. Because until 3 years ago I was going to, under no circumstance, have children because of the danger that it would put me and my emotional health in.
I march because I was raised by a man that taught me the importance of global relations and the damaging impact of islamophobia; because on 9/11 I watched hatred get spewed at my family because of my father's nation of origin and others' perception of our beliefs. Because when people see my Persian brothers they see a threat instead of seeing the incredible, hilarious and brilliant men that they are.
I march because my mother's students should not live in fear of deportation and instead should be celebrated for their successes and for working toward better lives for their families. That every child, and every family, should be honored for contributing to the melting pot, and the dynamically diverse environment, of the United States.
I march for my LGBTQ communities rights. For their right to marry, to choose, to receive medical care, and to receive the same job, housing, insurance, etc securities as our cis-straight peers. Because for my whole life as a cisgender woman I have passed for straight and watched as my peers were under attack and have feared outing myself. For that, my friends, I am sorry.
I march because if we fail to use our privileges and our power to advocate for those without then we are failing everyone. If we cannot own our privilege and the choices made by others in our demographic then we are failing. We must be better. We must rise against the patriarchy that hurts all of us. When they go low, we must go high. We must love, educate, speak out, advocate, and be stronger than anyone thought we could. These are only a few of many reasons that I march. I march for all of those that can't, all of those who are disenfranchised, all of those who are told their voices are unimportant and whose bodies are deemed a threat just by way of existing. I march because WE are the revolution that the world needs right now. I march because not marching is not a choice.
