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    In the seconds, minutes, days, weeks, and now months since Donald Trump was made the President Elect, women spoke out, stood up, and vowed not to accept leadership that was rooted in their oppression. Women who spoke up were labeled modern day “bra-burners”- a label that was accepted with open arms and also made out to be an insult by others. In my own home, the value of my gender was made into a debate. In class, my Economics professor preached fear and a discussion in the Gender Studies and Law departments turned into a lesson on coping mechanisms. I was made acutely aware that there were people around me who wanted to strip me of my agency. But, if women like Hillary Clinton have taught me anything during this election process, it’s that I can never let that happen. My womanhood and yours should be celebrated- not feared for.
           The moment that the Women’s March on Denver was established, I was wholeheartedly in. But in the time since I felt the burning pressure to identify more aggressively as a feminist and to speak out with ferocity against oppressive forces and institutions, I became aware of something even more important. We, myself and the diverse community forming around this march, need to remember that in our efforts to make space for change and to create inclusivity, we ourselves must make space for change and create inclusivity. We have to listen to each other. We have to bring more than rage to the table- we need to educate and be educated about our beliefs in female empowerment, racial equality, social justice and freedom. We need to talk to each other and listen to each other. We will not always agree, but we have to try to help each other learn how to treat one another. Our anger should serve as a fuel, but not as a weapon.
           During the Women’s March on Denver (and every march that will happen this weekend) I hope to see protest and discussion not amplified with fists and speech ridden with hate, but with words of wisdom, of hope, of a need to inspire conversation and social progress. I hope to see a body of women who realize that this march has positively brought together more social classes, races, religions, sexual orientations and backgrounds than any other feminist movement before it. This is feminism in its most beautiful form- eclectic, diverse, and rooted in equality that goes beyond white privilege and upper-class gender issues. Feminism isn’t some horrible monster…this is our chance to prove it.
           This weekend, I’ll be marching. I will march because I believe in the institutions that make it possible for me to be writing for a publication that empowers young women, that give me access to affordable reproductive health, and that paved the way for me to be a young woman pursuing a four-year degree. I will march because I want my little sister to feel safe, strong, and free. I will march because I love my mother, my grandmothers, my best friend and my neighbors. I will march because I believe that this amazing country of ours, when it focuses on inclusivity, love, diversity, and compassion, has the potential to be great for the first time.
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*The Women’s March on Denver will take place on January 21st at 9:00AM, beginning at Denver’s Civic Center Park
**Jacket in image is from valfre.comÂ