As the Women’s March drew near this month, I braced myself. I waited for the Facebook event invites, for the Instagram posts, for the witty and heartbreaking signs from people of all ages and backgrounds. I braced myself for talk of the celebrities who would make speeches and the responses from our politicians. I looked forward to the empowerment my fellow women would feel at these rallies.
What I didn’t expect was to be so touched by a speech delivered by Grammy-nominated singer Halsey. She presented her poem, titled “A Story Like Mine” in New York City, and relived the moments in which she was her friend’s supporter through a rape at 14 years old and her own experiences with sexual assault. You can watch the video here.
I watched her speech. With tears in my eyes, I watched in again, and for ten minutes afterwards sat in silence and tried to collect own my thoughts as I was bombarded with the loud (and valid) opinions of those who found her word choice offensive or explicit descriptions unnecessary. But I disagree. I felt it was all necessary.
More importantly, I felt her speech give me another push. Another reason to reflect on my own behavior and be more aware of who I choose to surround myself with. Do my friends understand the importance of the societal changes we’re experience? Do they give women the respect they deserve and are now demanding? Do they acknowledge when someone has said something offensive or dangerous? Do I confront people in my space who say inappropriate things?
Her poem, despite being painful, was powerful. I hope it inspires other college women to make changes in their own lives. This doesn’t have to mean throwing punches at the guy on the bus who said something malicious or ghosting the girl friend who says the Women’s March is stupid. It means being brave and taking steps through recovery. It means admitting, yes, #MeToo, or no, I don’t know enough about this issue and I’d like to learn. It means having the ability to listen to others and taking the time to truly understand. It means being mature about the conversations we have with those who have opposing views.
I encourage all my brave sisters to reflect. How does this speech make you feel? Does it make you want to write your own? Does it make you want to hold your friends close and make sure they know you support them through their pain? I hope the answer is “all of the above”.