 we are all in agreement with you here.
I was one of those women. I got a call from the school system at 7:15 PM as we were finishing homework. I had to send a text to my boss to let her know that I wouldn’t be in. I spent the day being a mommy and enjoying some one on one time with my son. I actually dressed in all black too yesterday. I didn’t do red.
I AM glad that you got to hang out with Munch. There is good and bad with stuff like this.
Yes, Lord. I wished we would have had more notice and I respect the decision, but dang. Thankfully I have an understanding supervisor and leave.
Let me see what I can do. 🙂 Thank you for including me!
Absolutely. I want to see your very first post.
So, wish granted. Look for that next Monday or Wednesday!
Thanks for reading, M.L. and thank you for sharing. I don’t disagree with you in philosophy, I only object to the methodology. Calling on women to strike yesterday assumed that womanhood and the American Woman experience is somehow monolithic: that we all have the ability to do so. For a huge amount of us (a majority of us? I’ll say it but can’t actually substantiate it), it’s simply not a possibility that we can call out from work. For many of us, work is life. One day of work is the difference between life and non-functioning life. For some women, calling out yesterday would be the forfeit of consistent work. Not always GOOD PAYING work, but CONSISTENTLY paying work, plain and simple which is, again, the difference between life and non-functioning life.
We have to be careful. Resistance must come with wisdom, reflection and inclusion. You are right that we are the backbones of the economy. So how can we better weave together the circles of women who do the economy’s work? How do we support, from women on the top (women who had the luxury of withholding labor yesterday) to the women on the bottom (women for whom work is a delicate, precarious and not guaranteed, yet utterly vital necessity) the economy of womanhood? How do we find and support women-owned businesses? How do we hire women into consistent, good paying work? How do we provide them the childcare necessary for them to do their jobs, do them well, and do them without worry that a single day away will be a forfeiture of position?
Could yesterday have accomplished that? I would submit that it couldn’t have. That’s my humble opinion, though, as reflected here.
I recognize and empathize with your anger and frustration. Indeed, I share it. I’m simply coming at it from a different place. Ultimately, though, we are working toward the same thing: effective resistance.
I should have (and maybe will edit) recognized the people who couldn’t strike. However, the vast majority of women who really could have didn’t. And yes, let’s do all those other things!
Thanks for expressing this point of view. I think many people can relate to this perspective. To be able to take the day off is definitely a luxury that many cannot afford. I also worked yesterday, but my choice was out of a sense of commitment to my community. I felt that my students needed me to teach, and so without shame, I did what I felt made the greatest impact. My job allows for me to address what is going on in the world with young people everyday. To stay home would have resulted in a missed opportunity to talk about gender in our society.
Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment! I’m a former 8th grade US History teacher. I would have gone to teach yesterday for all the reasons you have listed. We teachers have a particular obligation and opportunity over these next few years just for all of the reasons you have written.
Thanks for the kind words :0) FYI-I’m also the mother of biracial children (three). My oldest two are young adults now, and I have one who is still in high school. My family lives in the south, so our lives have definitely been interesting. It’s good to know that you are out there in the world with us!
There is power in women not going to work, it does send a message. However, I recognize that many women could not stay home because of financial or other reasons.
My frustration is seeing women state that the women who marched yesterday were not real women or not as powerful as women who went to work.
My frustration is seeing women who belittle women out on the streets who are fighting for rights, which if you take a short look back in time, women fought for rights that women today take for granted.
A lot of women today take for granted that they can serve in the military while being a mom, a lot of women today take for granted that they are protected from discrimination.
I think that how we spend our money is just as important as days where we stand together.
Anyway- thanks for sharing, thanks for fighting the good fight.
Thanks for this, Darcy. I appreciate your reading and commenting. I don’t disagree with you and I hope I don’t come off as belittling my counterparts who took part yesterday, as that is not what I’m intending to do.
I agree with everything you’ve written: We women have a rightful place in this democracy, and I think that our voices absolutely should be out and heard. I wrote this post in recognition that the experience of American Woman is multifaceted and, more importantly, often leaves behind whole swaths of women when we start to define it. You can see what I wrote in reply to M.L. just above. I don’t disagree with the philosophy (I actually whole-heartedly endorse it). I caution against the methodology. As we continue to create a moment of sustained resistance, I want to make sure that we fold in everyone, that we’re locking arms with all sorts of women. Yesterday it was a strike. Maybe tomorrow it’s a flashmob buying spree at women-owned businesses. Maybe the next day it’s marching with low-wage workers fighting for a raised minimum wage. Maybe it’s sit-ins at State Houses to fight for affordable childcare for all or expanded HeadStart for children in urban communities. I’m here for it all. I want to make sure others are, too, and that we’re creative when we start thinking about just how disruptive we can chose to be.
And that’s important: creativity in the disruption. That means more voices should be at the table and brought into the fold. And that brings me back to the meat of my post: looking people in the eye, learning names, listening to stories, spending time weaving the webs of community. We’re powerful when we’ve got our heads together and we’re listening to each other, conspiring together.
I agree that striking was necessary but those of us who couldn’t march, myself included, shouldn’t be belittled or labeled antifemenist because we’re not. The Hamilton quote made me smile because I’ve had the soundtrack on repeat for almost a week now.
I hope we can put aside methodology and differences to stand together, work together, and fight for the right causes together as we care deeply for each other. When divisions emerge, all the wrong people stand to gain. Thank you for so eloquently expressing your feelings. I hope we can build on the power and strength, the comfort and warmth of spirit I felt along with my 500,000 closest friends at the Women’s March in D.C. I am touched and inspired by your post. Let’s all hear and see each other, whatever color we are and whatever color we wear.
Thank you for reading my post! I’m so glad that it resonates and I’m so grateful for your time marching and resisting. It’s all important. What we’re all doing is important. I think that as long as we keep looking for new ways to be seen and heard, and as long as we take the time to include as many people as we possibly can while we do it, we’ll be alright. Our hearts, I know, are in the right place.
I enjoyed reading your post. I had no choice but to work. We will get there, ladies!
Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read and comment! I appreciate it!
There were a lot of women who didn’t have a choice on Wednesday. I’m here for all sorts of creative solutions for how to include all sorts of women and all of our experiences.
What an eloquent description of the dichotomy of International Women’s Day. I had a hard time talking to my kids about it — the point they were trying to make, the reason not everyone was able to participate — I don’t know that I didn’t make a big muddled mess of it. But we’re trying.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You are doing powerful work.
I’m sure you were probably fine. 😉 It’s good that the kiddos are asking questions and getting answers. They can interpret and apply as they see fit!
Thank you for reading my post! I’m so glad that you’ve stopped by!
Thanks for the encouragement! I’ll make time to take a look!
Good post. I also don’t have the time to go on protests or marches. I do wish ALL women’s voices were welcome during Woman’s Day. Unfortunately millions were not welcome to attend.